The late writer and activist June Jordan offered many wise words, but this succinct insight from a 1990 essay is one of her greatest:

“Violence is fast.
Other things take time.”

This sets up a central problem in our daily lives and our global journey today.

Violence is fast. Other things take time.

It takes time to heal.
It takes time to listen.
It takes time to research.
It takes time to grow trees.
It takes time to share a meal.
It takes time to alleviate poverty.
It takes time to create relationships.
It takes time to negotiate differences.
It takes time build good social programs.
It takes time to sit down in honest conversation.
It takes time to understand differentials of power.
It takes time to show love when you don’t like someone.
It takes time to devise alternatives to military engagement.
It takes time to protect ecosystems and plan sustainable growth.
It takes time to create jobs and healthcare access and social inclusion.
It takes time to listen to voices of dissent and to see our shared humanity.

Violence is fast. Other things take time.