Amidst the grief and anguish following the shootings in Newtown, CT, I love that the NY Times released this short Op-Doc video, which is being widely shared (click the Heart to watch).

Picture Credit: Damien Hirst “All You Need is Love” via Sotheby’s

I think the street scene embodies what restoring faith in the goodness of humanity looks like, and points out an important principle that helps me sort through so many conflicting thoughts and feelings when the world makes no sense: That there are Twin Processes – of integration and disintegration, of construction and destruction – at play in our world, and these often occur in a counterbalancing, complementary way to bring about a better, more unified world.  Like the “birth pangs of a new world order,” there is unimaginable, unexpected pain experienced so that a new creation, more beautiful than we can imagine, can come into this world.  It’s up to us to create that new entity. Based in love, it will be a healthy, positive presence in our lives.  To read more about the Twin Processes, you can start here.

The spontaneous eruption of by-standers singing “All You Need Is Love,” which has become a universal anthem of brotherhood (of course that includes sisterhood), to counter-act the hate speech represents one of the most effective “defense strategies.”  From world leaders to school kids, we could all learn from this approach.  Humanity’s goodness lies in humanizing our fellow sisters and brothers, not fearing them. And the voices of a fringe few with megaphones can’t drown out the sincere goodness of the real majority.

Like the Times commentary pointed out, it’s one more reason to love New York (which I do!).  I hope as this example spreads across the globe, more and more peaceful, courageous harmonies can occur anywhere on earth.