Greetings Friends, in the midst of all that is going on in the world, I thought I would share a word of encouragement from the final chapter of my book-in-progress. May it remind you that you are not alone. (The photo is of a homemade sign I was delighted to discover while walking in an out of the way spot in Oakland, CA.)
In times of peril Life calls us into capacities we didn’t even know we had. So often we have no idea the full measure of what we are being called to... or its consequences. I think that’s how Spirit works with us—pretty sneaky, really. “Build an ark,” It said to Noah—no mention at first of animals gathered, and months at sea with nothing but a thin hope of ever finding land. Just, “Build an ark.” “Be the spokesperson for the bus boycott,” It said to Dr. King when he was a 26-year-old pastor newly arrived in Montgomery, Alabama. “Black lives matter,” Spirit said to and through Alicia Garza. “Water is Life,” It said to the Lakota and Dakota young people who sparked the peaceful resistance at Standing Rock. “Me too,” It told Tarana Burke. “Take a knee,” It directed Colin Kaepernick. “Climb a tree,” It told Julia Butterfly Hill.
We never really know. I think it’s by design, because maybe if we did know what-all we were really agreeing to we would never say yes in the first place. But Spirit and the ancestors lead us in little by little. (Like the story about how you can boil a live frog by putting it in cool water and turning up the heat so slowly as to be almost imperceptible. Until it’s too late.) By the time we realize the magnitude of it we are already committed. It can be costly, but how much more costly if we don’t. How tragic to play it safe, to never live into the fullness of our calling.
Healing and liberation are a collective project not an individual one. To meet the challenge will require all of us, and all of our gifts over time. Like the pyramids, the great cathedrals, or the living root bridges of Meghalaya India, this is the work of generations and the work of faith. It was begun by those who came long before us. Each of us is called in turn to lay our stones, to weave our roots, to give our lives toward a purpose larger than we can imagine and whose fruition we may never see.
There is no map for these times, and only the compass of our hearts to guide us. Yet there is wisdom in the ancestors’ whispering; there is vision in the dreaming of the coming generations. We stand at the nexus between past and future, praying to be faithful to both in the crucial role entrusted to us. And they are with us, urging us on.
Being courageous doesn’t mean we are not afraid. If we weren’t afraid what would we need courage for? Courage is acknowledging the fear and acting anyway. The key to this is in the word itself. The etymological root of “courage” is the Latin word cor, which means “heart.” Love is what steadies us in the midst of fear, moves us to act in ways we didn’t know we were capable of. Love for the Divine. Love for Earth. Love for our human and more-than-human kin. Love for Life itself.
It begs the simple question: what is the world that Love would create? And what is our part—what is your part—in bringing it into being. The answer to the many crises we face is not technological fixes, but awakening the heart-soul of humanity. We can call to the beauty that is buried in one another and love it into being.
"How tragic to play it safe" Thanks for the beautiful reminder. :)
Wow. Thank you for your beautiful heartfelt reminder that -Love is what steadies us to act in ways we didn't know we were capable of. It was a compassionate reminder that we are the blessing our ancestors prayed here to be the light that illumines the darkness. It was a sweet prayer that resonated at the core of my being. I see you..I appreciate who and what you are; and thank you for your demonstration of warrior-courage.