esse quam videri

The cardinals have gathered. Together, in great flocks they have come together to give a lasting message of hatred, of fear, and of intolerance. Some may call it a mandate; the immutable will of divinity given form in flesh and dour congregation. I call it an indictment of our values. I say that it is proof enough that we care not to take a moment to look at a thing, to understand it as if it were a part of our own journey, a part of our own lives. Instead we wish to flee, or worse, rush in to beat, bludgeon and shatter.  To destroy hopes. To reduce pleasant dreams, harmless dreams, to charred debris, lifeless ruin. Is life not too short to always be inspired by love, no matter the face or form it takes? What kind of criminals are these, so deprived of spirit or soul that they need to punish others for taking different roads, walking different paths? Sorrow fills my heart for all the lost sheep, who replace joy with fear, fooled into believing that that is the essence of life; the meaning behind the madness.