“IT ONLY TAKES A SPARK”

The words by Richard Rogers sung in the movie ‘South Pacific’ – “You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear. You’ve got to be taught from year to year. It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear.  You’ve got to be carefully taught.  You’ve got to be taught to be afraid of people whose eyes are oddly made and people whose skin is a different shade.  You’ve got to be carefully taught.  You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late, before you are 6 or 7 or 8 to hate all the people your relatives hate. You’ve got to be carefully taught.”

and Nelson Mandela’s words – “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of their skin or background or religion.  People learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can learn to love,  for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

are a reminder that it only takes a spark … a spark of compassion … a spark of kindness … a spark of understanding … a spark of patience … a spark of justice … a spark of goodness … a spark of thoughtfulness … a spark of active listening … a spark of standing-with … a spark of speaking-out … a spark of being present to another to begin to exchange love for hatred.