Restoring Hearts

April 1, 2019

01 Apr 2019

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I watched a man die today. Infirm with age, he was hobbling along with his cane as he went to the commissary window to buy a few snacks when, stepping backward, he bumped directly into Death.

Then men who care nothing for any of us were inconveniently compelled to try to restart the worn-out engine of life, now suddenly silent in his chest. They failed.

It occurs to me that restoration of a heartbeat shouldn’t be more difficult than the restoration of a human heart. People will work tirelessly to restore a heartbeat for a stranger, but shouldn’t we all work just as diligently to restore a “heart” for others? Perhaps even our own heart. Should we not work for restoration of hearts that are broken? Restoration for the lost and lonely and misguided in our world?

If the hearts of all people were restored to a state of kindness, what would our world look like? Almost everyone feels compassion for a sick child or an injured animal. So why don’t we feel the same way for others who are broken, lost and lonely? Why not for the prisoners, the addicts, the confused teenagers or the other down-trodden people all around us?

I believe that in every human heart, from the bitterest to the softest, there is a capacity for genuine kindness and compassion. Somehow, somewhere, something has buried that innate ability in too many people.

Whether we realize it or not, we all need restoration. Restoration of our heart’s deep compassion. Restoration of our faith in basic human goodness. Restoration of our sense of connection with one another and with all people. We need restoration of our genuine “heart” in order to continue, or even to begin, living our lives with real depth and fulfillment.