I’ve been focusing on gratitude this month as we head towards Thanksgiving, and in Twelve Step circles, celebrate Gratitude Month. 

Yesterday was a hard day; feeling grateful was the last thing on my mind. It was my first day to catch up on countless details that seem pressing after our 8-day trip to Italy. Anxiety about our upcoming Gratitude events and the details associated with them led me to a bout of self-pity and frustration.

This morning, I was journaling about yesterday and getting ready to write this post. Out of the blue, Big Spirit reminded me of one of my favorite children’s books – Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s my go-to for inspiration when times are hard. 

Today, I thought about how disappointed Alexander was that there was no prize in the bottom of his cracker jack box. I realized I was like Alexander. I want to know that I will get the prize ahead of time and that it is guaranteed. Yesterday I didn’t see any possibility of a prize for my effort.

I was reminded that I am not in charge and can’t predict the future. And that reminder helped me with the subject of this week’s post – how good and evil have co-existed throughout history. And how traveling widens my appreciation for that reality. 

Our Italy trip was on a cruise ship that started out in Rome and made one day stops in Naples, Sicily, Bari, Croatia, and ended in Venice. The cruise includes history talks about the regions visited and opportunities for guided tours with local experts.

It was impossible to not see how wars for power and control have dominated the history of every place we visited. We learned how local resilience, creativity, and perhaps grace, have allowed these places to continue to grow and evolve as vibrant communities. This realization gave me a different perspective on the cruelty and injustice that dominate our US government’s actions currently. 

Sicily, for example, is an island off the tip of Italy. It was vulnerable to attacks from many groups seeking more land and resources. It didn’t become part of Italy until the unification of Italy in 1861. In 241BC, Sicily was conquered by Rome. In the 600’s the Byzantium Empire attacked it repeatedly for over 25 years. Beginning in 832, the Arab Conquest began and lasted until 902. In 1061, the Normans took over for 30 years. The Spanish dominated Sicily for three centuries, the 15^th to 18^th. That was followed by attacks during the Napoleonic War 1803 to1815. And like much of Europe, Sicily was a major battle ground during World War II.

I found this history sobering and startling. It made me wonder about our increased awareness of the role trauma plays in mental health. If you live on an island that is frequently under attack, it would make sense that you are constantly fearful of another attack. 

Despite this history, and in some ways because of it, Messina – the region of Sicily we visited- is a thriving seaport city. It is vibrant and reflects the diversity of cultures of its many occupiers. Influenced by Greek, Byzantine and Roman cultures, the architecture and commerce reflect its past. Amazingly its history includes periods where the many cultures co-existed in harmony. 

The fact that Sicily endured all these attacks and changes in government and culture seems miraculous to me. While the human spirit seems condemned to want more, and to attack others to get it, that same spirit remains capable of creating vibrant communities anew. People whose families have endured oppression, attacks, and poverty created beautiful art and new ways to live as community.

Faith and religion are central to the story of oppression and to the story of rebuilding. Traveling reminded me there is no escaping evil, sometimes caused or led by the institutions we thought we could trust and rely on.  Ultimately, good prevails again for a while. Our job is to do the next right thing that advances good, stops oppression, and ends war.