My
heart grieves at the new presidential directive the halts immigration
and visas and refugee entrance into this country – from specific Muslim
countries, and that also appears to favor Christians over Muslims in
immigration policy. I am sad, upset, disturbed. It is not who we are as
America to do this.
Here is the link to the presidential Executive Order:https://www.nytimes.com/…/refugee-muslim-executive-order-tr…
[I could only read a bit of it, it was so difficult to bear to read…. as for to me is so transgresses the spirit of who we are… that a presidential order could carry such a difficult energy.]
The dominant perspective that seems to fueling this and other policies, is one of the attitudes of fear and mistrust looking for a scapegoat for the problems that the world faces – placing blame rather than seeking to responsibly meet the problems we face in America and as a world.
David Brook’s editorial in the NY Times speaks to this, and while I disagree with the title in part, he speaks clearly about the orientation of the Trump Administration in how it has been acting in its first week
https://www.nytimes.com/…/op…/the-politics-of-cowardice.html
When I think of this presidential edict – which I hope and expect will be challenged successfully at least in part in court – I think immediately of the video I just posted a couple days ago (see 1/25/17 post): “4.1” – which is about the misery for the people from Syria risking everything including death in seeking escape from the terrible and dangerous situation in that country.
I imagine hundreds of thousands of Americans protesting in cities around the country, dressed as and representing the Statue of Liberty, and carrying flags from all countries around the world including those for whom visas and immigration are blocked – and also carrying flags of the United Nations.
I see a protest group renting a JumboTron giant TV screen, and placing it facing the White House in Lafayette Park, and playing the video below, over and over again, looping. (Perhaps I hesitate on this action, and others would follow suit with their own messages of many kinds).
There current Administration is swept up within a current of energy of distorted understanding of what the problems of the world are, and by extension misleads, capitalizes on, and foments the understandable fears of Americans about safety from terrorism, or about economic decline. It misperceives the problems of the world – because it fails to recognize the problem itself of how it is looking at the world. It fails to understand the self-reflection (of individuals, and of collective policy) that is needed whereby one can see when and where the words of Pogo hold true: “We have met the enemy, and he is us”. I would alter that, however, to say that the enemy is not “us”, but “how we fail to recognize how we misperceive” the world and ourselves.
Therefore, the answer to this problem to be willing to be as fully truthful as we are able, with ourselves, and with others. To seek and choose to become more aware, awake, conscious.
For me, what I am coming to understand is that means both to speak about what I see, about whatis or isn’t true, as best I can. But to do so as well without attacking others, or belittling, or condescending in any way. But being willing to say what I see, and feel. And to understand that each person is where they are, in terms of what they perceive. Not to blame people for where they are, but to understand.
So, for instance, it is important for me to speak to the concerns people have about safety, about terrorism, and to address the question of “What will make us more safe?”. And to speak to the concerns about economic well-being, and the question “What will help us become more economically promising and hopeful?”
The answers that have been given by the Administration to the problems of the world, come from the place of fear itself. Roosevelt said “the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself”. Believing that we have, and can find within us, and between us, and from God or the greater Life of which we are part - the ways that actually bring peace, and prosperity, and harmony to how we life on the Earth – is the answer to fear. The strength of the love and truth within us, knows this.
We are in a time when the currents of fear, and distrust, and smallness of vision are ascendant within the halls of power within this country. This has probably needed to happen – so that we can collectively recognize the errors of the instincts of fear, distrust, and manipulation that have been counter-currents in our countries body-politic since the time of subjugation of native peoples, and the time of slavery. These currents are not of our "better nature", but we must contend with them. But we must do so by not being them. We need to not be fear – but be trust in the ultimate outcome of the process of transformation of this country – while yet bearing witness with grief to the sadness of harm that is inflicted along the way. We need to be truth – when confronted by falsehood. We need to be love – when confronted that which is not love.
Love, truth, compassion, understanding - and the willingness to stand in, by, and for these - is what aligns us with what is most uplifted within the human Spirit. It is the greater force of God, of the Universe, of the Oneness of life of which we are part. As we align ourselves so, we bring into being the very way of life we long to have be on the earth. The energy of fear and distrust that many people are influenced by, cannot ultimately hold sway in that Light, and the hardness of heart will melt away as that truth shines and more people can feel it.
While I await for more of this to happen, and seek to do what is mine to help bring this about, I also hold my heart with all who suffer in this time.
I pray too for those whose actions cause pain to others – because they can’t see another way, or believe in the way that causes that pain, or don’t see or don’t want to see the pain that is caused. Each of us perhaps has had some experience of causing pain to others because of our own limitations; therefore we need to be able to have compassion for all who cause others pain while at the same time doing what we can to change this.
Compassion and Truth. The willingness to bear suffering with others. The willingness to Stand. And the belief in what we know deeper within ourselves, and the hope and promise of that deeper knowing, that there is a Way through this time, and we are part of how that way comes into being.
Here is the link to the presidential Executive Order:https://www.nytimes.com/…/refugee-muslim-executive-order-tr…
[I could only read a bit of it, it was so difficult to bear to read…. as for to me is so transgresses the spirit of who we are… that a presidential order could carry such a difficult energy.]
The dominant perspective that seems to fueling this and other policies, is one of the attitudes of fear and mistrust looking for a scapegoat for the problems that the world faces – placing blame rather than seeking to responsibly meet the problems we face in America and as a world.
David Brook’s editorial in the NY Times speaks to this, and while I disagree with the title in part, he speaks clearly about the orientation of the Trump Administration in how it has been acting in its first week
https://www.nytimes.com/…/op…/the-politics-of-cowardice.html
When I think of this presidential edict – which I hope and expect will be challenged successfully at least in part in court – I think immediately of the video I just posted a couple days ago (see 1/25/17 post): “4.1” – which is about the misery for the people from Syria risking everything including death in seeking escape from the terrible and dangerous situation in that country.
I imagine hundreds of thousands of Americans protesting in cities around the country, dressed as and representing the Statue of Liberty, and carrying flags from all countries around the world including those for whom visas and immigration are blocked – and also carrying flags of the United Nations.
I see a protest group renting a JumboTron giant TV screen, and placing it facing the White House in Lafayette Park, and playing the video below, over and over again, looping. (Perhaps I hesitate on this action, and others would follow suit with their own messages of many kinds).
There current Administration is swept up within a current of energy of distorted understanding of what the problems of the world are, and by extension misleads, capitalizes on, and foments the understandable fears of Americans about safety from terrorism, or about economic decline. It misperceives the problems of the world – because it fails to recognize the problem itself of how it is looking at the world. It fails to understand the self-reflection (of individuals, and of collective policy) that is needed whereby one can see when and where the words of Pogo hold true: “We have met the enemy, and he is us”. I would alter that, however, to say that the enemy is not “us”, but “how we fail to recognize how we misperceive” the world and ourselves.
Therefore, the answer to this problem to be willing to be as fully truthful as we are able, with ourselves, and with others. To seek and choose to become more aware, awake, conscious.
For me, what I am coming to understand is that means both to speak about what I see, about whatis or isn’t true, as best I can. But to do so as well without attacking others, or belittling, or condescending in any way. But being willing to say what I see, and feel. And to understand that each person is where they are, in terms of what they perceive. Not to blame people for where they are, but to understand.
So, for instance, it is important for me to speak to the concerns people have about safety, about terrorism, and to address the question of “What will make us more safe?”. And to speak to the concerns about economic well-being, and the question “What will help us become more economically promising and hopeful?”
The answers that have been given by the Administration to the problems of the world, come from the place of fear itself. Roosevelt said “the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself”. Believing that we have, and can find within us, and between us, and from God or the greater Life of which we are part - the ways that actually bring peace, and prosperity, and harmony to how we life on the Earth – is the answer to fear. The strength of the love and truth within us, knows this.
We are in a time when the currents of fear, and distrust, and smallness of vision are ascendant within the halls of power within this country. This has probably needed to happen – so that we can collectively recognize the errors of the instincts of fear, distrust, and manipulation that have been counter-currents in our countries body-politic since the time of subjugation of native peoples, and the time of slavery. These currents are not of our "better nature", but we must contend with them. But we must do so by not being them. We need to not be fear – but be trust in the ultimate outcome of the process of transformation of this country – while yet bearing witness with grief to the sadness of harm that is inflicted along the way. We need to be truth – when confronted by falsehood. We need to be love – when confronted that which is not love.
Love, truth, compassion, understanding - and the willingness to stand in, by, and for these - is what aligns us with what is most uplifted within the human Spirit. It is the greater force of God, of the Universe, of the Oneness of life of which we are part. As we align ourselves so, we bring into being the very way of life we long to have be on the earth. The energy of fear and distrust that many people are influenced by, cannot ultimately hold sway in that Light, and the hardness of heart will melt away as that truth shines and more people can feel it.
While I await for more of this to happen, and seek to do what is mine to help bring this about, I also hold my heart with all who suffer in this time.
I pray too for those whose actions cause pain to others – because they can’t see another way, or believe in the way that causes that pain, or don’t see or don’t want to see the pain that is caused. Each of us perhaps has had some experience of causing pain to others because of our own limitations; therefore we need to be able to have compassion for all who cause others pain while at the same time doing what we can to change this.
Compassion and Truth. The willingness to bear suffering with others. The willingness to Stand. And the belief in what we know deeper within ourselves, and the hope and promise of that deeper knowing, that there is a Way through this time, and we are part of how that way comes into being.
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