Had the chance to read again the beautiful quotes at the MLK monument this week visiting; "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." MLK "Hate can not over come hate only love can overcome hate". I also remember Vaclav Havel's quote: “Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out. " It is not about winning. We must always keep in mind the beloved community.
I have to admit I'm quite numb over all of this and ready to head for the hills (aka, Canada or Scotland). And I also have to admit that I'm fairly critical of this country and its politics (on both sides over the last decades). So I often ask myself the question of whether I want to get involved with weekly protests of our government and its "leaders," with the real possibility that some person who is rabidly supportive of he-who-must not be named-name, driving his truck through our various little protest groups, here in the predominantly red Midwest (at least according to how they voted last year). Or someone raging through the crowd with his easily purchased assault weapon. Or any number of other ways that people strike back out of their OWN fear and hate.
But then I remember that the people I know, and many I don't, are all good and loving people; the animals, I believe, are hoping for voices from the species who have caused all this anguish to help them; the trees and plants are as stalwart as ever in giving us the oxygen we need to continue living; and our home and Mother, is still here to support us, though she has already begun crying out much louder and insistently--to our detriment.
And while I begin to feel my own feelings of anger and frustration, I try to remember that every, single time I feel that way--whether I express it out loud or simply feel it clouding my spirit--I feel myself shut down. Anger, no matter how "righteous" some might think it can be, including many of the wonderful people I know, is always a process of shutting down. And, as I think I may have expressed here before, if you look really deeply within, and ask yourself a series of "What do I really feel here? What's really behind this anger?" questions, I've found, and I've seen it in others, to their surprise, that what nearly always comes up is sadness, not anger. And that sadness is something we can only feel precisely because we are interconnected with everything that lives, here and throughout the Cosmos, and want to feel that belongingness; and quite clearly, something has gone wrong.
So I ask myself when I feel this anger: "Do I like how I'm feeling?" Every time, no matter what the issue is, the answer is "No," because at base, I do not like the feeling of shutting down.
The opposite of shutting down, obviously, is opening up. In other words, Love. Opening to the pain, the sadness, the grief. For me, that is the only way to the joy of being here, of being alive, even during this time. As Joanna Macy has said numerous times, she feels lucky, blessed to be alive at this time of transformation, no matter the pain.
And as my own husband, John, said in one of his books, "The Universe sets problems that only Love can solve." So you are right, Leah, and you are right, Beth, that it is the only way we have left. It is our only path to resilience and what we must stand for. A simple little thing, extremely difficult to
live, and I rarely succeed at it consistently. But what other choices do we have at this point?
Very wise words, Carrie. I agree; anger is sometimes considered a "more acceptable" feeling - or at least "better" than the pain that lies beneath it. I think it's innate to want to belong - and to belong to Earth is deeply held within us. So this "death by a thousand cuts" is really, really breaking our hearts. We are living in the three stories all at one - trying to maintain business as usual amid the great unraveling while longing for a great turning that we cannot yet understand. These are hard times indeed. Sending you and yours loving connections.
Yes, indeed, Leah, about the innateness of wanting to belong; thank you! I believe so strongly that that is the thing we want most, and the thing that, through the ways our species has lived for millennia--doing things that actually have taken us away from recognizing true belonging, wanting more to "fit in," to conform, to be an "individual" apart from the rest of the Earth community--that we are so incredibly far away from that recognition. I deeply believe that's the "upstream cause" that started our downfall and has led us to where we are today. So again, Love (an other-centered approach to the interconnectedness of relationship) is indeed the way!
I couldn't agree more. We have frayed connections, and it's breaking our hearts. Our story of "how the world is" doesn't confirm our place in the web of being. We need a new story of life and liveliness. I think we have to imagine together what could be possible.
Yes, indeed! So, since I'm sure you aren't all that busy (lol!), would you like to start an online group on the foundational importance of story in all of our lives and see what we can all creatively imagine? 😊
Leah - Thanks for this timely and important reminder - that the only hope we have is to get up each morning focussed on and committed to love in all that entails - in confrontation, communion, sacrifice, joy etc etc.
Thank you, Leah, for reminding us all that our actions need to be stemmed from love and be energized by love. I too once attended sacred Circle at the cathedral in Washington DC unfortunately I think it was the last one it was in 2009 and I too, was totally moved by a speaker. I heard there, Elizabeth lesser. She told us that one cannot act unless one’s heart is broken open. And that is truly what is happening now.
Leah, as always, your passion and common sense coupled with deep wisdom and love, shine through. And thank you so much for drawing my attention to the Fix our Forests Act--what an ugly action on the part of this administration that does not care about non-m/billionaires and foreign oligarchs. I rise each day with love, now more than ever thanks to you. And I commit to end the day the same way, even as I speak up, in frustration, in anger, etc. Still love.
Had the chance to read again the beautiful quotes at the MLK monument this week visiting; "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." MLK "Hate can not over come hate only love can overcome hate". I also remember Vaclav Havel's quote: “Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out. " It is not about winning. We must always keep in mind the beloved community.
Wise words from those who have seen so much and still stood strong.
Courageous care deeds
trump crass, cruel, corrupt actions.
We choose to think so.
Yes.
Inspiring words - thank you, Leah!
Thank you, Maureen.
I felt like this was a pep talk meant just for me. Thank you, Leah.
Thank you, Mary Beth. For myself as well.
yes yes and yes / more powerful and more fun / thank you for expressing it
I have to admit I'm quite numb over all of this and ready to head for the hills (aka, Canada or Scotland). And I also have to admit that I'm fairly critical of this country and its politics (on both sides over the last decades). So I often ask myself the question of whether I want to get involved with weekly protests of our government and its "leaders," with the real possibility that some person who is rabidly supportive of he-who-must not be named-name, driving his truck through our various little protest groups, here in the predominantly red Midwest (at least according to how they voted last year). Or someone raging through the crowd with his easily purchased assault weapon. Or any number of other ways that people strike back out of their OWN fear and hate.
But then I remember that the people I know, and many I don't, are all good and loving people; the animals, I believe, are hoping for voices from the species who have caused all this anguish to help them; the trees and plants are as stalwart as ever in giving us the oxygen we need to continue living; and our home and Mother, is still here to support us, though she has already begun crying out much louder and insistently--to our detriment.
And while I begin to feel my own feelings of anger and frustration, I try to remember that every, single time I feel that way--whether I express it out loud or simply feel it clouding my spirit--I feel myself shut down. Anger, no matter how "righteous" some might think it can be, including many of the wonderful people I know, is always a process of shutting down. And, as I think I may have expressed here before, if you look really deeply within, and ask yourself a series of "What do I really feel here? What's really behind this anger?" questions, I've found, and I've seen it in others, to their surprise, that what nearly always comes up is sadness, not anger. And that sadness is something we can only feel precisely because we are interconnected with everything that lives, here and throughout the Cosmos, and want to feel that belongingness; and quite clearly, something has gone wrong.
So I ask myself when I feel this anger: "Do I like how I'm feeling?" Every time, no matter what the issue is, the answer is "No," because at base, I do not like the feeling of shutting down.
The opposite of shutting down, obviously, is opening up. In other words, Love. Opening to the pain, the sadness, the grief. For me, that is the only way to the joy of being here, of being alive, even during this time. As Joanna Macy has said numerous times, she feels lucky, blessed to be alive at this time of transformation, no matter the pain.
And as my own husband, John, said in one of his books, "The Universe sets problems that only Love can solve." So you are right, Leah, and you are right, Beth, that it is the only way we have left. It is our only path to resilience and what we must stand for. A simple little thing, extremely difficult to
live, and I rarely succeed at it consistently. But what other choices do we have at this point?
Very wise words, Carrie. I agree; anger is sometimes considered a "more acceptable" feeling - or at least "better" than the pain that lies beneath it. I think it's innate to want to belong - and to belong to Earth is deeply held within us. So this "death by a thousand cuts" is really, really breaking our hearts. We are living in the three stories all at one - trying to maintain business as usual amid the great unraveling while longing for a great turning that we cannot yet understand. These are hard times indeed. Sending you and yours loving connections.
Yes, indeed, Leah, about the innateness of wanting to belong; thank you! I believe so strongly that that is the thing we want most, and the thing that, through the ways our species has lived for millennia--doing things that actually have taken us away from recognizing true belonging, wanting more to "fit in," to conform, to be an "individual" apart from the rest of the Earth community--that we are so incredibly far away from that recognition. I deeply believe that's the "upstream cause" that started our downfall and has led us to where we are today. So again, Love (an other-centered approach to the interconnectedness of relationship) is indeed the way!
I couldn't agree more. We have frayed connections, and it's breaking our hearts. Our story of "how the world is" doesn't confirm our place in the web of being. We need a new story of life and liveliness. I think we have to imagine together what could be possible.
Yes, indeed! So, since I'm sure you aren't all that busy (lol!), would you like to start an online group on the foundational importance of story in all of our lives and see what we can all creatively imagine? 😊
I'm not exactly sure what you have in mind, Carrie. But if you lead off on something like this, I'll follow!
Leah - Thanks for this timely and important reminder - that the only hope we have is to get up each morning focussed on and committed to love in all that entails - in confrontation, communion, sacrifice, joy etc etc.
Indeed, Beth. Can be hard for me to remember, and yet that's the gift we've been given.
This post, with all its aggregated love, is one of the most coherent, humane and positive that I have read. Thank you to all who engaged. 🙏🏻❤️
Thank you so much, Manuel. I'm go glad that it resonted with you - and especially glad that you joined the conversation.
We must all engage...or perish.
Thank you, Leah, for reminding us all that our actions need to be stemmed from love and be energized by love. I too once attended sacred Circle at the cathedral in Washington DC unfortunately I think it was the last one it was in 2009 and I too, was totally moved by a speaker. I heard there, Elizabeth lesser. She told us that one cannot act unless one’s heart is broken open. And that is truly what is happening now.
❤️🙏🌻🌲
Leah, as always, your passion and common sense coupled with deep wisdom and love, shine through. And thank you so much for drawing my attention to the Fix our Forests Act--what an ugly action on the part of this administration that does not care about non-m/billionaires and foreign oligarchs. I rise each day with love, now more than ever thanks to you. And I commit to end the day the same way, even as I speak up, in frustration, in anger, etc. Still love.
Thank you so much, Robin. It's always good to connect with you. Fix our Forests is indeed awful; we owe our forests so much.
You name the challenge and opportunity: to stand up and speak up from a place of Love.
Thank you.