Pain, sadness, hurt, brokenness, frustration, grief, anger, fear, uneasiness, confusion, emptiness, exhaustion! Emotional exhaustion! These were the multiple emotions I experienced as I pounded the treadmill in this last week. Walking at a brisk pace of 4.6 miles an hour at an incline of 5, I prayed that this physical activity would quiet my mind. I had even typed “loud fast workout music” on my phone. However, the hard loud drum beats, electric guitars, clanging cymbals, and words I did not recognize did nothing. My mind was too full of painful questions.
Why, why is this happening in 2020? Why does discrimination, injustice, prejudices still prevail? Why does racism still exist?
I felt like I had lost all faith and hope in humanity. Back in March when the lockdown started, I spoke about the new normal, my prayer. Then I saw the outpouring of care and compassion across the globe as we all realized NO ONE was spared by the virus. I looked at the unity as a silver lining in spite of our pandemic and I kept that faith.
I did not want to lose this faith, but I felt like I had no energy left. Why can’t we just be kind to each other and treat each other as human beings? Even animals don’t hurt their own or others unless they are threatened or hungry. We humans are given the freedom of choice. Why do we choose to behave this way?
This national movement of protest is a cry, a cry that has erupted because the pressures of constant micro and macro insults could not be contained any longer. It is a cry that screams, “No more! We will not tolerate prejudices, discrimination or injustice of any type anymore! Why did we have to come to this? Why does this pain still exist?”
Our Mother Earth has arms big enough, has a heart caring enough, for each one of us IF we turn to her with the care and respect every mother, every living creature deserves.
My questions kept pouring out of me as I walked on the treadmill.
What if we just listened to each other’s stories? What if we stopped questioning and just reached out to each other with a genuine heartfelt invitation to understand each other, where we grew up, what makes us laugh, what keeps us up at night? What if we just looked at each other with a smile, our hands crossed in a Namaste, and bowed our heads? Is that difficult? Is sparing a few minutes of a day to be present for another human being so difficult? What will that take? What will it take for us to connect, to feel safe, safe not just physically but emotionally and psychologically? What will it take to build this community, a community where we can Belong? Where we can belong for who we are, not the color of our skin, hair, lifestyle we choose, what we practice, what we earn, but belong because we all are spiritual beings in a human body?
I have to hold on to hope and positive thoughts. I have to continue to keep faith. I have to show my support and solidarity. What is it I share? We can always serve, and we can start by what is in our hands!
Breathing hard I got off the treadmill and lay on my yoga mat, and typed in “Amazing Grace.” As I listened to the words, tears rolling down my cheeks, I felt a calm, a peace and an energy that was encouraging. I remembered the quote by Buddha, “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle and the life of the candle will not be shortened.” We have first to start with us. We have to be true to ourselves. We have to first explore, understand, and dispel any biases and prejudices from within us.
It resonated with my belief, Lift up each other and we all rise together!
Let us light the candles of love, care, justice, kindness and equality.
Let us start with us! Let me start!
Also this was my buddy check text message on Friday afternoon:
Sending you Happy Thoughts! Have a blessed weekend. Lift up each other and we all rise together!
“There are times when you must quiet your own voice to hear from or about those who suffer in ways that you do not.”—George Yancy
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”—Viktor Frankl
I offer you peace.
I offer you love.
I offer you friendship.
I see your beauty.
I hear your need.
I feel your feelings.
My wisdom flows from the highest Source.
I salute that Source in you.
Let us work together. For unity and peace.—Mohandas Gandhi
#REFLECT: What do you offer to others? What are you able to receive?
Peace from my treadmill
This post is screaming of desperation with the prevailing atmosphere and circumstances in the world in general and in the USA in particular. Some one has rightly said that while the world is coping with one virus, the Covod-19, USA is coping with two viruses, that of Covid-19 and of Racism. Mukta has asked why this is happening in 2020. Unfortunately, this has been the way of the world for the past many centuries, ever since the principle of might is right became the key to success leading to imperialism and subjugation of the underprivileged. Invariably this happened because of the ego and hunger for power by some. Often this has been done in the name of either religious crusades and conversions or to establish the supremacy of one and one race only, be it for Aryan purity or white supremacy. Repeated wars, local regional or the world wars are evidence for this. I think it was Winston Churchill who so aptly described this phenomenon as, when in war, long for peace, and when in peace, prepare for war. One can understand the natural calamity like the Corona virus, if indeed it is natural, but man-made calamities like unrests because of color, race, religion or gender are sparked by suppressed internal hatreds and instigated by vested interests.
Inherent human nature is that of peace and love. This can be seen in a newborn of any color, race, religion, or gender. It is the influence of the nurturing of the innocent human children that fills them with prejudices, discriminations, and hatred. Why then to blame the younger generations for how they react under provocations?
No energy can be suppressed for too long, including the emotional energy within every human being. Everyone knows the outcome of suppressed energy, be it in the form of the eruptions of volcanoes or mass uprisings amongst humanity. This energy must find a let out. It is for the leaders and those in power to either let it continue to be destructive or to harness it and channelize it for purposeful means.
All uprisings, mass movements and ultimately the revolutions are the results of top level management failures , be they economic, political, or religious. When average expectations of common people to live in peace and harmony and with dignity are belied, they cannot be blamed for coming together as a unified force against suppression.
Mukta refers to Mahatma Gandhi. He is the living example of leadership that harnessed the massive energy of the masses to bring down even the mightiest empire. Let not the powers that be in anywhere in the world underestimate the outcome of popular uprisings of humanity coming together for a common cause of resisting suppression of any kind, economical, racial, religious, or political.
As to what we can offer, we should offer space for human minds to grow freely without prejudices of any kind. What we can receive is the inherent goodness of human beings expressed as love and respect, gratitude, and cooperation to coexist.
Let no one expect these from others. You will get what you give. Peace within spreads peace without. It is all up to us, each one of us. United we stand as one. There are no others then.
The buck stops with us, with each one of us.