To All My Relations

As we move into the week of Thanksgiving here in the US, Clan of the Wildlings has this to say about recent tragic events and the divisiveness that they have spawned. 

To those who fear, there is a place set for you at our table should you choose to join us in peace. To those who hate, there is a place set for you at our table should you choose to join us in love. To those who are alone and hungry, there is a place set for you at our table should you choose to join us in gratitude.

So may it be. Blessed be. Aho!

On Intolerance and Peaceful Co-existence

The past few days have been agonizing for me, as they have been for everyone following the news. I tried to stay out of it, to stay off of social media, to stay silent. I failed. I cannot stay silent in a world gone mad. 

People I thought I knew have been spewing hatred and intolerance. Many are calling for more war, more bombings, closing our borders, refusing to help refugees. I simply cannot stand by and do nothing. I'm reminded of a quote from a favorite film. Sure, it's a pop culture piece of entertainment, and sure, it in itself promotes violence. But this quote states it eloquently:

"And I am reminded on this holy day of the sad story of Kitty Genovese. As you all may remember, long time ago almost 30 years ago. This poor soul cried out for help time and time again, but no person answered her calls. Though many saw, no one so much as called the police. They all just watched as Kitty was being stabbed to death in broad daylight. They watched as her assailant walked away. Now, we must all fear evil men. But, there is another kind of evil which we must fear most … and that is the indifference of good men!"

I was horrified when I learned the story of Kitty Genovese in college. I am horrified today by recent events, and by people's reactions to them. So this morning, when I ought to have been getting ready for work, this is what I wrote:

I don’t normally post about current events or politics. Recent events have made this reserve impossible. In the last few days, I have seen and read about horrific crimes against humanity in Tunisia, Beirut, and Paris. Here on FB, the response has been both compassionate and hate-filled. As an empath, this is intensely painful for me. No, it’s not about me. It’s a global problem, this use of violence to further ostensibly religious agendas. It’s not just overseas – it’s here in the USA as well. Let us not forget McVeigh and all the others like him – AMERICANS who have perpetuated terrorism.

But I will tell you this. As a medical professional, I see people of all nationalities, all faiths, all genders, and all sexual orientations EVERY DAY. Each and every day, I treat people with compassion regardless of these labels. I see it as my sacred duty to see people as human beings in need first, before any of these things. 

And guess what? We are all the same when we’re in pain. Everyone’s lower back aches the same. Everyone scrunches their shoulders up to their ears when they are stressed. Everyone looks the same when they finally let go and relax.

People often talk during massage therapy sessions. Some do it because they can’t bear silence. Others, to distract themselves from the sensations in their body. Others talk to me because no one else listens to them. And let me tell you something else. Yesterday, I treated a patient who spewed hatred for the entire hour. This person hates Muslims, gays, anybody who disagrees with their church, Democrats, women in general, terrorists, and liberals. The things this client said broke my heart and caused me to sit down and question everything I am, everything I know and everything I believe in.

A friend of mine asked me how I handled the situation and said I must have the patience of a saint. I simply let the client speak. I healed this person to the best of my ability. This patient needs healing most of all. This person says these things because of deep pain within. I don’t claim to be a saint. I tell you this story not out of self-aggrandizement, but in hopes that folks will realize the same thing that I did:

Hate only fuels more hate. Violence only fuels more violence. Divisions among humanity serve only the people who seek power. Like it or not, we are all in this together. 

It’s the 21st century, and it’s high time that we all start working together. Call me an idealist if you will. Un-friend me if this angers you, truly. 

I refuse to believe that Islam or Christianity are faiths that are fundamentally incompatible with peaceful co-existence. I refuse to believe that failures in the past mean that trying again to build tolerance and peace will fail. 

We must overcome. After all, what is the alternative? A World War in which we wipe every Muslim from the face of the Earth? A global ban on religion? More years of mass killings, until no one is left? 

No. These apocalyptic visions will not happen. We will find a way through. Humanity has a tendency to shine and find solutions at the very last moment.

I will not give up. I will not give in to fear and hatred. I will continue to resist peacefully. I will continue to speak up, speak out and to take whatever actions I can to create cultural change.

Currently, I have an idea to create a global peace accord in which we all agree to the following:

1.  Everyone has the right to live as they wish so long as it doesn't harm others.
2. The right of sovereignty of all nations must be respected - no more conquering others by force.
3. Diligently work to solve problems without violence.

My idea is to write this up with a cover letter and start sending it to local churches. Since religion is used as an excuse for many of the violent acts recently committed by terrorists, mass murderers, school shooters and what have you, we should start with faith leaders. We must start in churches, and in homes, to teach our young people to respect and tolerate diversity. This is the foundation of peace. Peace doesn't just happen. Peace is more accurately termed peaceful co-existence. Peaceful co-existence can only happen when we reject the use of force and embrace our beautiful diversity as a species.

Will you take the pledge? Do you know of someone already doing this? Drop me a line or a comment!

The Revolutionary Fires of Beltane

The Pagan Experience - WK 1- May 4 – Fire –  What ignites your passionate fires? What fuels your spiritual fires? What rages in fire’s destructive wake within you? And, what has healed from the cauterizing flames? How do you honor fire? How will you embrace its transformative powers?

Perhaps at some other moment, I will respond to this prompt point by point. Perhaps I'll also discuss fire as an element, as I have done with other elements. But tonight, on this blessed night of Beltane, this holy time to rekindle the need-fire, this is what I have to say. There are tragedies galore all over the news right now. The suffering has a palpable weight, a smell, a taste, a texture, a sound. It galls in my throat, it clogs my nose, it befouls my mouth, it pains my ears and fills my eyes with tears of sorrow and rage. I cannot bear it. No more. Vive la rivoluzione!

“If we respected each other, if we respected animals, and if we respected the land, then we could dispense with laws and cut the middleman out of morality.”

-       Tom Robbins, Another Roadside Attraction, p. 253

Justice. The real meaning of freedom. Nowadays, these are radical notions. But I say that I will stand. I will speak up. I will not be silenced. We simply must make a change. We must control ego to bring about peace. There must be a change of consciousness, a raising of our collective vibration. We must wake up and unite as a community, as a nation. We must interrupt our daily routines to make our collective will heard:

We want our country back.

This country cannot belong to a privileged few. It was a built with the blood of millions. We sacrificed our lives, our homes, all we had in the pursuit of freedom. Ironically, we first fled here to escape religious tyranny. A tyranny that now threatens to return.

The real tyranny is the use of force. Any group can abuse their power and cloak it with a mask of their choosing. The moment we stop focusing on living our own bliss and instead turn to directing the lives of others, we are lost. We have turned to tyranny.

Perhaps our country now is dissolute. Perhaps we are overfed and decadent. I say this is exactly the goal of that privileged few.

Their tactics are most ingenious and dastardly. They force the lower classes into poverty by shipping industry overseas, where laborers are unprotected by our own democratic laws. Their wealth grows in proportion to the degradations of our own citizens.

Meanwhile, their products are weapons that pacify the populace. Television and all forms of media tell us what to believe: go to work, earn lots of money to enjoy the finer things in life (and we’ll tell you what those are). Believe. Exclude, bully and harass others that are enemies of the state. Be silent, be passive and consume.

Industrial food keeps the populace foggy, sick and addicted. An endless cycle of artificial chemistry to addle our brains: sugar, salt, fat, carbs. Dead food. Not food at all. Bloated, sick bodies cannot resist the whims of our ruling class. We can barely get through the week, caring for ourselves and our families. Fomenting a real revolution is currently beyond our means.

With a pacified populace and an endless supply of capital, the tyrants turn to larger prey: the world stage of politics, war and trade. This too is a cycle – start a war to create demand for defense contractors, stimulate the economy, make more money, consolidate more power…lather, rinse, and repeat.

The global players vie for control of resources. People, animals, plants, all of our natural resources and our blessed Earth itself, these things are bought and sold, used and abused. Like a diseased animal, the global economy fouls its own nest, with no regard for its own survival, much less that of its descendants.

I say to you, all my relations, what shall we do?

We must unite.

We must act.

We must not use violence to achieve our goals. As a person acts so does s/he become. We must first heal ourselves in body, mind and spirit, in thought, word and deed.

It begins with self-love. It begins with the knowledge that all beings have worth. All beings have their place in the web of life. What we do to any part of the web affects the entire web.

We must practice love. We must practice compassion. We must practice freedom. We must practice peace.

We must rise above the urge to harm, to diminish the light of others. We must accept that our differences make us strong, and that we are strongest together.

We must unite.

We must act.

We must remake this country. Reclaim it. Re-sanctify it wit the pure light of freedom, of justice for ALL. We must have equality, dignity and opportunity to thrive.

We must take our country back.

So mote it be.