I have heard from friends this week, that they can no longer tolerate the sadness, fear, and heaviness of the news, and so they have removed the Facebook app, and even the news app from their phones. And I have heard friends say that reading the “negativity” of the news doesn’t align with maintaining their "high vibration," and so they just don’t.
And to my dear friends I say, understand what a privilege it is to turn away from the suffering of others. Understand what a privilege it is that you are not one of the many that feels the heaviness of oppression and injustice. Because there are many that are not so privileged. So...
- Awareness. There is power in being aware of what is happening in this world. We owe it to one another to stay vigilant.
- Spiritual Practice. There is peace when we come back to a daily spiritual practice to renew our energy and our faith in times like these.
- Creative Expression. Use your words, your pen, your paint brush, your instrument to transform the heaviness of fear, despair, sadness, and rage into Art.
- Action. Take it, small and large.
- Gather inspiration from the greats like MLK, Gandhi, Bernie Sanders, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, and Mother Theresa who worked tirelessly toward the greater good.
Thank God for individuals like these who worked toward the greater good and not just their own private goals, and thank God for individuals like these for giving us the courage and inspiration to stand up and stand together.
Because it’s a roller coaster. I am outraged as I watch videos of police seizing control over standing rock and the Native peoples there protecting it. I am horrified as I watch videos of Black lives beaten and killed by law enforcement and the majority who justify it. I am shocked as I hear about Muslim and refugee banning. And I am deeply saddened by the disregard and disrespect of the Earth by our leaders.
What’s happening all at once in these past 12 days is overwhelming. We must support ALL those working toward peace, equality, and justice. Sign petitions, call or write Senators and Congressman, protest, donate $, create Art, pray, and use your VOICE. We must stand together. And come back to the practices that restore our peace daily.
As the Sufi poet, Rumi, so eloquently says, “The mirror of the heart must be polished constantly before you can clearly see in it Good and Evil.” Look inward and don’t be afraid to confront your own discomfort in all of this chaos. Oftentimes this is where to true work lies. Let us stand up and stand together, and use our privilege to stand for the greater good.