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From fear to hope
From my office a couple of blocks away, I heard the explosions. It was the finish of the Boston Marathon. Thousands were enjoying a good time on a beautiful day when the thunder of bombs suddenly stunned the crowd and marked a tragic end to the festive spirit of the day.
Most people, unless they’ve lived or served in a war zone, are not familiar with the sound of bombs. I’m one of them. But there was no mistaking that frightening sound. Instead of fear, though, it triggered in my memory a statement written by Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science. “The pent-up elements of mortal mind need no terrible detonation to free them. Envy, rivalry, hate need no temporary indulgence that they be destroyed through suffering; they should be stifled from lack of air and freedom” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896, p. 356).
Mortal mind is a term Christian Science gives to that state of thought that harbors the mental tyranny of fear and tries to conquer by intimidation. How can we stifle the reaction of fear and dismay that follows the senseless acts it breeds? There is an answer.
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