Boundaries

Earlier today I wrote about the structures and plant life that define our yard and the woods that surround us on three sides. There are hard definitions – a stone wall,  heaps of deadfall from trees, for example. And there are soft, permeable definitions where cultivars and native plants meet and mingle, co-exist peacefully and beautifully.

Not until this evening did I realize that I had been writing about boundaries and how similar the physical boundaries between our home and the woods are to the boundaries between nations, religions, communities and individual human beings.

Some of these boundaries are hard, some are soft and permeable. The hard ones are mistrustful, guarded and sometimes aggressive. The soft ones are gentle and trusting. It isn't all black and white, of course. Both exist in various degrees.

Both kinds of boundaries, I regret to say, are necessary in human relationships, in the lines we draw between ourselves and others. One cannot trust people who are bent on some sort of evil, nor nations who are warlike. Still, I hope for more soft boundaries between all of us. I hope we can live peaceably with respect for one another. I hope we can trust one another and work for our common good.