black lives matter. repeat.

We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.

Thich Nhat Hanh

I don’t have the words or the answers, but I will stop staying silent for fear of getting it wrong.

I never aimed to make “political” issues my platform, but I know now that this should be all of our platforms, because it affects all of us. 

If we care about something or someone or a certain issue, we are political by default. Gandhi said, “Those who say spirituality has nothing to do with politics do not know what spirituality really means.”

I can no longer hide behind not wanting to “get political.” Checking out is a privilege; now I want to use my privilege to speak up.

In my privilege I recognize that I could easily bypass this and continue on with my content, advocating for peace, sustainability, and wellbeing in my own way.

But here within lies the problem: the avoidance of discomfort / of potentially offending someone because of something I did [or didn’t] do.

This fear now seems so insignificant; so much less extreme than the fear for life itself that so many are unfairly burdened with.

This is so much bigger than all of us.

I will never take my privilege for granted, but if I do, I hope someone will call me out.

So now what?

• We can commit to being conscious of our words and actions.
• We can commit to educating one another; learning more as individuals and a community.
• We can commit to having difficult conversations about racism – among other uncomfortable topics – instead of sweeping this discomfort under the rug.
• We can acknowledge that This. Affects. Everyone.
• We can own the fact that we are all influencing someone; we are responsible for how we use our voice, especially if that voice comes with privilege.
• We can do our best to speak up vs shut up – knowing that we might get it wrong sometimes, but it’s better than doing nothing.
• We can call out others if and when we see or hear something offensive.
• We can remember that advocating for peace does not mean being passive [it also does not mean violence, but we can recognize that violence is a product of a serious underlying issue that needs attention].
• We can ask questions [when appropriate] like: “How can I support you?” / “How are you feeling?” / “What do you want me to know?”
• We can donate and ask others for resources [click here for a few].
• We can pray and love fiercely.

Please reach out if you need support or have other resources/information you would like to share so that I can be a better advocate.

Read the newsletter for upcoming Zoom yoga [portion of proceeds will be donated to a BIPOC organization], a Loving Kindness meditation with Cushion Crawl, an inspiring revolutionary racial justice address by Rachel Cargle.

Onward.