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I forgot about Abu Ghraib. It sort of just slipped away into the labyrinth of my mind. It was not even so long ago and I was an adult when it happened, which presumably increases the capacity for longterm memory. Until I came across the image with the hashtag. Leading me on my typical trail through Google when my mind gets tripped up. I have no personal involvement with Abu Ghraib. I don't have any personal involvement with the many wars and civil unrests that have been going on during my brief lifetime so far. There may have been distant family relations that were involved with WWI and WWII, but I have no knowledge of that. Of course, it did impact the previous generations of my family in some shape or form, the way it did any one during that time. I was surprised at myself that something as atrocious as Abu Ghraib could so easily slip to the back of my mind. Maybe it is because as a species here on earth, we have managed to continue committing similar or worse atrocities globally. A never ending field day of purging our dark side. Maybe it is because I had my very own, very personal tragedies happening since Abu Ghraib, that involved the purging of my own dark side. I have always wondered at what point does abuse become part of the normal routine of anyone's day. Is there a distinct marker of before and after or does it just slither into part of one’s the day? I have always wondered how one has the appearance to function as a seemingly average person while “secretly” abusing and torturing their own kind, or any other species for that matter. I have always wondered how our minds justify our own, and others' behavior, when we are undeniably aware that these behaviors are inhumane. How do we irrationally disassociate with our deep rooted compassion for life? I know I am not the only one, I rather like to believe that it is indeed a large majority, who has the same intrinsic dialogue that automatically starts up when we do or say things that go against our inherent good will. When we find ourselves in the midst of making choices that take us away from Spirit instead of making those choices that inadvertently bring us closer to what we are. What is the ultimate deciding factor and are we truly considering the consequences? Do we have any idea of the responsibility, and are we prepared to assume it? ~•~ a beautiful milieu