Power, forgiveness, control

How much power we give up when we allow others to determine our course:
When we react to hatred with venom,
When we respond to assault with revenge,
When we allow another's destruction to move us towards destruction as well.

Even in the small things,
When our thoughts are consumed by what has been done to us,
When our mind is filled with the memories of what could have or should have been,
When our hearts are shattered daily by an onslaught that we cannot control,
We give up our power when we allow this.
We surrender our peace when we yield to the invasion of our being.
We die each day that we choose darkness in response to darkness,
hatred in response to hatred,
fear and anger in response to the bombardment.

What then is the alternative?
There is only one.
In order to not give you my power,
I must forgive you,
Let go of what was and what will be.
I must live in the now that is now,
not the hope of what might have been.
I must choose this day to embody the peace I hope to see in the world.
And to be the love I believe will one day change the world.