My life’s work is educating on transforming systemic racism through racial awareness amidst overt racist acts, often within grief, and at times, on top of burnout. I often ask myself: What keeps us sitting up straight with a strong core despite our circumstances? Poet and songstress Andra Day sings in Rise Up:
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountains
At this time in our nation and throughout the world, we are experiencing a stark blow to our understanding of humanity. Many of us are tired, angry, and hopeless. It makes sense that we would feel the collective weight of hurt from greed, racial exploitation, and ill-will - it's not intellectual. We're connected and, like it or not, we share a global nervous system. We feel and our bodies absorbs. We're tender and we care about what happens in the world, despite our, at times, ineffectual expression. Day continues:
When the silence isn't quietAnd it feels like it's getting hard to breatheAnd I know you feel like dyingBut I promise we'll take the world to its feetAnd move mountainsBring it to its feetAnd move mountains
There are times when we can rest and attend to grieving. We might be able, for example, to tenderly shift our attention away from the truth of the horrific occurrence and give priority to the pain we are experiencing, and the movement of pain through the body. We may then notice when the intensity of dread and grief lessens, and begin to rest in the warm sogginess of our own good hearts. This is our practice. It’s not simple, just necessary, an antidote to pushing when we are literally rocked to our knees. It's also helpful to remember why we practice - not just for ourselves, but for so many beings in need of relief. Sistah Day continues as the prayer that she is:
And I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll do it a thousand times againAnd I'll rise upHigh like the wavesI'll rise upIn spite of the acheI'll rise upAnd I'll do it a thousand times againFor youFor youFor youFor you
When we practice for the benefit for all, without exception, the weight of grief is lessoned. In stillness, we touch a human nerve that we all share, and we surrender to a global and even invisible vibrant sangha of practitioners, ancestors, and healers sitting in prayer for our collective liberation. Day's prayer continues:
All we need, all we need is hopeAnd for that we have each otherAnd for that we have each otherAnd we will riseWe will riseWe'll rise, oh, ohWe'll rise
Practice Freedom!
Taking care of ourselves is not a luxury; self-care is how we heal and how we ripen our inner capacity to respond wisely to the world. Self-care is often not our first instinct, but we can learn to experience our resilience as we rest by opening our awareness to feel, from the inside, the strength in our legs, the muscle in our heart, and the power of our backbone to literally lift ourselves up. Staying close to the movement of our breath and allowing our tears to flow freely also helps. Beloved Ancestor Toni Morrison writes in A Mercy:
You don’t need to try and make it all go away. It shouldn’t go away…and I’m not going to hide from what’s true just because it hurts.
We must think collectively and historically to understand and appreciate our gifts - a practice of remembering: Remembering the present moment, again and again. Remembering that we’re not dead yet, and at this moment, we can breathe. Remembering our ancestors, wisdom teachings, elders, and our own fine mind. Reflect: What messages have your ancestors, wise elders, and poets imparted to you that support your daily practice of wisdom and kindness? What messages of comfort and wisdom will you share with elders, children, and grieving families near and far? Offering kindness to yourself and others is an antidote to grief.
We also must remember to have faith. We are vulnerable. Anything can happen to us at any time, but we need not be victims. The Buddha shares of freedom in the Four Noble Truths that:
Suffering is to be understood, its cause is to be abandoned, freedom is to be realized, and there is a path that cultivates freedom.
Ancestor Toni Morrison speaks of freedom similarly in this way:
The presence of evil is something to be first recognized, then dealt with, survived, outwitted, triumphed over.
For the wise, the growing violence among us should ignite a response that ensures "no body" is harmed. While there may not be broad or celebrated victories readily evidenced in our efforts, we still must use our bodies and minds to do everything humanly possible to plant seeds that end racism and support freedom.
We’re not in complete control of situational outcomes, nor can we comprehend the vast and invisible effort and prayers operating on our behalf. I believe that those of us functioning with a strong core are supporting those of us in despair, and those of us in despair are grieving and healing for those of us standing strong - and our experiences change constantly. As Martin Luther King, Jr., shares, "This is the interrelated structure of reality." This is nature at play in the vast skinless body of awareness in which we inescapably belong, and it is our basic goodness at its most holy.
Thank you for this beautiful reminder the importance of self-care, our interdependence on each other and that we all have a part to play.