As they readied their horses to ride to the tree where Paul died, Zoe and Brian took a minute to see down and gather themselves and be together. Their faces said as much as any words. I was never very good at being young, I do much better being older, but I have long believed that if our bleeding world is to be saved, it will be the young people who do it. Not the angry old men in Washington and shouting on cable new channels, not the generals in their big offices, not the bankers counting their numbers, not the cruel people who write hateful messages to people on Facebook because they follow their own truth.

If our world is to heal and live in peace, it will be the young people who decide to do it, and come of age. This is the metaphor you can see, a tragedy has opened a door,  can fill a void, and not for money or power or fame or the newest devices, but for a better world. A world that restores the broken bond between people and animals, that treats people and animals with care and dignity and respect. You can see it here.

This is what I see when I look into their faces, when I see them kiss and hug the horses, brush them, put balm on their bites and sores, walk them, feed them, show them how to live safely in our world Godspeed to Zoe and Brian, their moment is coming at Blue Star, perhaps for the rest of us as well.

I think it is the young who need our support and encouragement. Joseph Campbell writes that it is the joy and responsibility of aging to help the young, to pass on what we know, to encourage them to learn and seek for themselves. Godspeed, Zoe and Brian, and all of the others like you on your journey to build a better world than the one we have left you.