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| Arctic Dawn Catherine Al-Meten Meyers |
However, in the last week, the storm warnings have increased in intensity, day by day. Each day something more shocking and unthinkable than the next. No resolve on anything, simply the piling up of one crisis upon another. As if we weren't aleady battle weary and barely recovering from a dividing, vitriolic campaign and election cycle...one that went on far too long and got far too coarse and dirty, we entered another exhausting cycle. Yet urged on by some to 'wait and see', to give things a chance, we barely had time to breathe before the proverbial shit began hitting the fan. And they were hippopotamus-sized missiles flying right and left and landing on some of our most cherished rights--freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly to name just a few.
Rather than not talk about the elephant in the room, we can lay most of the chaos at the feet of the newly elected (albeit by the electoral college not the popular vote) president and his cronies. So whether you think he's the cat's meow or something akin to the devil incarnate, he has changed the course of our ship. And if you're ship, either individually or your collective ship of expectations and hopes, was set for something peaceful and reflective and maybe even enjoyable, you might be wondering what the heck happened.
A while ago I talked by Skype with my 10-year old Granddaughter. She had been on vacation for the last 10 days, and we were catching up. After talking about her trip, she asked me what I had been doing. I told her, "I've been marching and I'll probably be doing a lot more marching in the near future." She knew why I had marched, she nodded her head. See even at her tender age, the children know full well what has been happening. It's been the topic of conversation at home, on the playground, in the classroom, and certainly in our conversations. I went on to say,"I didn't think I'd be spending my latter years protesting and fighting for the rights we had already won and held dear. I had no idea I'd feel compelled to put other pleasures aside so that I could go back to working hard to protect our freedoms and to support those who are vulnerable to abuse and discrimination."
I also said, "I'm not sure what I'm going to do." To which this wise little woman said, "But Yaya, you're a writer. You will write." And of course, she's absolutely correct. She too is a writer, and knows that we express ourselves, our deepest, most cherished ideas, thoughts, and feelings through our writing. And she has watched me for all of her 10 1/2 years, writing. Her Mother, my lovely Daughter then said, in the background, "Tell Yaya how you called your Aunt out on vacation."
My Granddaughter got a serious look on her face, shook her head, and said, "Yeah, I had to say something. I couldn't let her talk about him that way. I had to tell her what I thought and challenge her accusations. I couldn't let that go on without saying something."
"Good for you, I'm proud of you. That was a brave and good thing to do. No, you're right, we cannot remain quiet when we hear lies and abuse being presented as facts. You're absolutely right."
And so, I rest tonight, assured that the line of women in at least three generations of my family, are not willing to go back, to return to a time when we were content to know our place, keep quiet, and not rock the boat. If the boat needs rocking, we're here to do it. And as writers, artists, actors, administrators, managers, teachers, healers, engineers, lawyers, bus drivers, whoever and whatever we choose to devote our lives to or whatever we have to do to earn a living--we are all entitled to a place of respect, equal opportunity, equal access to education, opportunity, and the right to speak our mind in a free and democratic society. At least the last time I looked, it was.
And when our neighbors, friends, family members, and fellow human beings are being abused, discriminated against, denied the rights and freedom that this country was founded upon, it is our obligation, every last one of us, to defend the rights of all men and women, regardless of religion, gender, ethnic and cultural background. And it is our duty to make certain that all are protected by the fair and just system of laws and due process. One man cannot dictate to the whole country, indeed to the world, on the personal whim and weight of his own hatred, bigotry, or misguided thinking. Fortunately, we've all endured attacks to our way of life before. We are capable and able to meet the challenges ahead, each in our own way according to our own gifts, talents, and calling. For writers, part of our way is through what we write. Another vital part of our work is to learn as much as we can, be vigilant, and discern what is right from what is not.
To do that we must set aside our emotional reactions and needs enough to clear our vision, take a deep breath, and seek deeper understanding and meaning. We also need to remember, we alone are not responsible for fixing anything. We have work right before us, a calling to answer that requires certain action, and blind spots and vague fears that must be clarified and faced. We can only do so much, but we must do something. And we must seek ways to work together for the greater good, and support our individual rights to freedom of thought, belief, and the choices we make in life. We need to understand that we only know the world from the perspective that we view and feel the world we live in. We may think we know how others feel, but we cannot presume to know for sure. We can, however, support another's right to dwell in their own belief system and perspectives without having to fix or change them. By the same right, we have the right to our own way of looking and understanding the world. Together, though we can do great things, heal a divided world, and find solutions and answers to the challenging problems and questions we face. But we can only do this if we respect one another. Democracy may be ruled by divisive sectors, but it only works when we all work together for what's best for all people regardless of income level, religion/philosophy, ethnic/cultural background, gender, and age.
We are better together, especially when each of us is doing our best to be our own personal best. When I was a swim coach long ago, one of the things I loved most about swimming and coaching was the idea that each of us had a personal best. It might not look like anyone else. It might not be as fast as far or as good as anyone else's but for us, individually, it was the best we could be. And that is what we each need to seek within ourselves right now. From what point of strength or weakness, knowledge or lack of understanding, tolerance or intolerance are we beginning? Where do we hope to go and what do we hope to achieve? What is calling from that deep space within us as well as from the world in which we live? What conditions or situations or issues are we best equipped to address? And how can we begin moving towards what allows us to work towards our personal best and to lend our service, time, energy, heart, passion, and life to urgent needs and crises? What strengths do we possess from the life we've already lived to help us move forward? We can each ask ourselves some of these questions, and focus our lives on working forward.
As for myself, I meant what I said to my Granddaughter today. I am devoting the rest of my life to fighting for what is right. I am devoting my life to building on the work I've begun to deal with the plight of refugees, immigrants, asylees, and those who've suffered from the wars, terrorism, and intergenerational stress brought about by systematic violence and attempted genocide. Today I reengaged with a friend from New Zealand to collaborate on some work to address topics near and dear our hearts. This is one thing that prepared me to move forward at this time. Other areas that call for my attention are those areas where I can provide the support, guidance, tools, and understanding that help others do what they must do to live strong, courageous, and productive lives.
We are all working at this time to heal the wounds of war..wounds that have scared, frightened, marked, and defined one generation after another, worldwide. We're feeling a little bit of the threat right now, that millions around the world have lived with for days, weeks, months, years, decades, and longer. Those who now seek shelter from the storm are not weak. They are not frightened. They are strong and courageous, though they may be hurt, tired, and full of grief. The least we can do, the very least, is to ease their pain, offer a hand, and share a meal and peaceful moment together. We must live our lives in full compassion not just paying lip service.
And for writers, we will be waking late at night to look out in the Universe to see the vastness of it, as we wonder how to handle our day to day experiences. And in the lovely, insightful observations of my Granddaughter, we will look out and see that "We are just a small part of a large and endless explosion of countles stars, space, and energy." That perspective helps in reminding us that we alone are not the center of the Universe. The Galactic center is not even the center. The Center is that Soul seed within that exists everywhere beyond all time and space and which some understand is the guiding force that infuses us with Light. We can choose life or we can choose death. Life is the path of light and hope. Death is the path of hate and fear. Choose Life.
