I am pleased to share that people are trickling back into the clinic, receiving acupuncture in a safe environment, leaving feeling more relaxed, with less pain, and perhaps more hope and energy to dive back into our collective planetary journey – making sense of this ever changing world, grieving the losses and injustices and collaborating …
Reverend Angel Kyodo Williams is a jewel. Radical Dharma is the title of her latest book which I look forward to reading. Today I attended her workshop on Radical Dharma. Here are my (white) person thoughts: Dharma is a Sanskrit word which can be roughly translated as “the teaching of Buddha” for a Buddhist, or …
There are all kinds of walls in this world – walls built by race, nationalism, gender, economics, ideology, age, ability, immigration status, etc. Some of these are actual walls, built of concrete, brick and steel. Usually though, “wall” is just a metaphor for institutional power structure. These institutions are often invisible to those who live comfortably behind them.
Only when one has reached a firm conclusion, that a peaceful world can never be realized until all people are truly free, will privileged white people understand that it is our moral duty to work tirelessly to bring true freedom and happiness to people of all races – ending colonialism, racism, patriarchy, capitalism, and all forms of oppression.
Too often, blacks have been silenced, socially muzzled by a white imposed dictum which though not codified anywhere in writing, nonetheless states that it is impolite to make white people feel uncomfortable about their continued participation in a racist system which continues to give preferential treatment to whites – economic, occupational, legal, educational, residential – to whites at the expense of blacks. If we are sincere about wishing to facilitate healing, we need to make room for people to experience their feelings of grief and anger and hold them with love.
“Diversity work is like running a marathon”. “Diversity work is like drinking a glass of water.” “Diversity work is like standing at the edge of a cliff”. “Diversity work is like entering a hornet’s nest”. There are no right answers and depending upon where one stands, all of them hold pieces of the truth. Where do you stand?
