Is Fear the new exploiter of the people? Or will we find courage in the arms of Fear?
Recent events have stirred and
disturbed me greatly. The lives of
innocent folks who have been profiled and inexplicably killed by police, the
overflow of anger leading to police assassinations, the increase of horrific
terrorist attacks and the degradation of men, women and children by religious
zealots can make me feel that Armageddon has arrived! What’s it all about? Has the world gone crazy?
I suppose we could continue to
address individual issues on a case by case basis. Should police be given different training in
managing crises? Should the poor be
managed differently to help those who feel most out of the loop to calm down
and find new means of garnering hope for their future? Should we find new and better ways to destroy
terrorist groups? The questions are endless. Do Black lives really matter? Should there be more acceptance and respect
for the LGBT communities? Are the
physically, mentally or developmentally handicapped worth all the effort? On and on!
Everywhere I go, I hear more and
more folks talking about this in various ways, some not so unifying but all
based on fear. Fear for the safety of their children and
families, fear for their jobs, fear for the world they thought they knew. Anger mounts as corporate brain trusts find
new ways to increase profits by downsizing their work forces. Have more part time, unstable workers so
there is less need for benefits and ease for flexing the size of the
workforce. Insecurity is everywhere and
this rouses deep and lasting feelings of fear and resentment.
Has Fear become the new exploiter
of the marginalized. Is it reaching its
vicious tentacles into the heart of the larger population of people leading us
to even greater distrust and more individualized sense of survival? Will fear eventually imprison us preventing
us from becoming our freest, truest and most whole selves as both individuals
and communities?
It seems to me that we are
engaged in a new war. The war is within. No longer can we ignore what is going on
around us. No longer is the threat of
over-reaction to social and emotional issues something that happens in another
city or country. Now is a time when we
must both individually and collectively become a people who engage in meaningful
discussion about how beautiful life is and that to sustain that beauty we must
fight the battle within. It is a battle
of the times that faces our inner feelings of distrust and uncertainty through
building relationships that can become open to dialogue, filled with compassion
and determined to take back a spirit of unity and collective oneness. To do this we each must face our own
demons. For one it may be afraid of
unknown cultures, persons or ideas. For another
it may be re-evaluating our value base that says that gathering wealth is the
only means for security. For yet another
it may be resolving and letting go of past traumatic hurts that have deeply
influenced our perspective on survival -‘fight or flight’. No longer will it just go away with time.
The time is now! Now is the time to name that new exploitive
force in our midst…FEAR! We must not
only name it but look it in the eye, confront it and say NO! A friend once wrote that “Everybody knows
that Courage is found in the arms of fear.”
Can we find the courage to ask the right questions?
Hey, how does it feel and what does it mean to you to be Native
Canadian? How is your life as a special
needs person? What does work, long hours
and more money really mean to me? Why do you protest for “Black Lives Matter’?
What has it been like growing up in our world knowing that you are gay
or lesbian? Can we talk about the truths
we hold in common beyond our ‘isms’? Jewish,
Evangelical, Catholic, Native Spirituality, Islam, Buddhist, etc. etc.? What does gender equality mean to you at its
best? Will we take the time to hear and
really listen to one another’s story?
Cause we ALL have a story and that story makes meaning for us (positive
or negative)… and it means something important to each of us. What is the meaningful discussion you would
like to have with a stranger?
Somehow, we cannot tackle this
major challenge without Faith. I am not
talking here about religion. Religious institutions
have let us down too often so now is the time to trust one another and our
Creator. Deep within each of us is that
life-giving force, our spirit that keeps us in relationship with a higher power
that is our life force. We may each have
a name for that higher power but while the name may be different that higher
power is the same…..Creator. Our inner
sense of that relationship is what drives us to goodness. It is that desire for goodness, truth and
peace that will drive our courage to face this vicious disease called FEAR.
Courage, go forth, heal one
another.
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