Hope by Emeli Sande
Wow. November 11th, 2016. Veteran's Day. Two days after a historic election that has left so many of us wondering...what does it mean to live in a completely divided country? To be clear, I don't ask that question in a naive way. I understand these divisions did not come out of nowhere. I understand that civil rights as a legal right only came into our vernacular in the mid twentieth century. The Post-racial discourse during Obama's time was an oversight of how long it takes for a nation to heal.
I wanted to take the time to share wisdom from people who I have been reading lately and how I have been seeking refuge in their words to give me perspective (historically, spiritually, globally). If you are reading this, I hope these seekers give you a glimpse of insight and hope. I see how spiritual grounding is what will get us through these days to come. The song I feature is Emeli Sande's 'Hope.'
Vincent Harding
Vincent Harding, a Civil Rights leader who passed away was able to do an interview with Krista Tippett in 2014. He brought up the fact that, "when it comes to creating a multiracial, multiethnic, multireligious, democratic society, we are still a developing nation." And he asks the very timely question:
"Is America possible?"
I am typing that question right now and my heart beats quickly and tears come to my eyes. Is America possible? Is it possible, especially now? We are so incredibly divided and we feel like the true definition of a fragile democracy. Is it possible for us to come together? Who does the work of bridging differences? If I value a multiracial, multiethnic and multireligious, democratic society, how do I work to bridge differences instead of spout anger? And how do I do so when a large population of people who voted on the other side don't like the color of my skin? How do we love through hate? I don't believe they are hateful people - but institutions, economics and a spiritual devoid has caused people to lose hope and therefore to not trust and to fear.
The media continues to feed all of these ideas to us about hatred and polarization and a frenzy that makes things feel so incredibly unstable. I have made an attempt to avoid the media, including social media like Facebook and Twitter.
I want to feel human and allow for others' humanity to manifest too. That feels like a certain kind of activism. My activism right now feels simple: the art of having real conversations. Real conversations where I listen to people express themselves and where I test and try out ideas. Because the truth is, I'm not sure what I believe right now in certain respects. I am certain about my uncertainty which leads me to Abraham Joshua Heschel.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
A book helping me to sort out anger, hope, violence, justice and God is Abraham Joshua Heschel: Essential Writings. Abraham Heschel was a rabbi who escaped Nazi Germany and was a deeply spiritual and religious man during a time of deep hatred and tensions in America. Heschel describes how, "There is no self-assurance or complacency in a religious person...I am afraid of people who are never embarrassed at their own pettiness, prejudices, envy and conceit."
In his time, Heschel spoke out against racism and the Vietnam War. He taught people about how to find a spiritual refuge in times of despair, but not to give in to complacency when things got bad. His kind of spirituality was an active one where he got out on the streets, where he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. As he stated,
"How many disasters do we have to go through in order to realize that all of humanity has a stake in the liberty of one person;whenever one person is offended, we are all hurt. What begins as inequality of some inevitably ends as inequality of all."
Again, I love how activism is not just through protests. To me, activism can literally mean activating our hearts to care for humanity's interests.
Which brings me to a quote from Robert Kennedy that I read a few days ago that moved me:
Robert Kennedy
In a speech to students in 1966 South Africa, Kennedy went on to name the four civic dangers that derail one's idealism:
I look at the past 48 hours as a time where I have probably spent more moments speaking about the political, the personal and a fragile democracy than I ever have in my life. I do not want to give into futility. I think conversations give space to grieve, to allow for moments of silence, to allow for despair, but also to allow for possibility.
My conversations started on the night of the election with Anay and two dear friends. It continued with friends and family in the morning. Then at work. And then over dinner with Anay. We went out to get Indian food and he started sketching his ideas on a piece of paper...trying to make sense of all of what we were experiencing without the noise and clutter. It continued with breakfast the next morning with my friend where we asked questions like, 'What do we do now? What do we do as citizens do now? How do we have conversations with people that hate us? Do we even want to?" On my way back from work, I got to speak with one of my best friends where we asked even more questions. We ended off the night having amazing friends over, drinking a bottle of wine and trying to deconstruct Obamacare, determine who feels left behind, what this means for the future, how we will get involved. Side note: lasagna, wine, and salted caramel ice cream sandwiches can do a lot for the soul as we search for answers.
All I can say is that those conversations are my precious gold right now along with these books and ideas. And finally, I end with a quote my music teacher shared from Toni Morrison based on an article she wrote in the Nation several years ago.
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison wrote about the moment when Bush was elected in 2004 and the despair she felt. She shared this grief with her friend and he responded by saying:
Yes, let art heal us all. I believe this truth on such a deep soul level.
So there it is: Vincent Harding, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Robert Kennedy and Toni Morrison...if you're reading this and want to share more...do so...let's build that library to center our hearts.
I end of with Emeli Sande's song, 'Hope.' Not the abstract hope. Just something to light in us, if even softly these days.
Hope
I wanted to take the time to share wisdom from people who I have been reading lately and how I have been seeking refuge in their words to give me perspective (historically, spiritually, globally). If you are reading this, I hope these seekers give you a glimpse of insight and hope. I see how spiritual grounding is what will get us through these days to come. The song I feature is Emeli Sande's 'Hope.'
Vincent Harding
Vincent Harding, a Civil Rights leader who passed away was able to do an interview with Krista Tippett in 2014. He brought up the fact that, "when it comes to creating a multiracial, multiethnic, multireligious, democratic society, we are still a developing nation." And he asks the very timely question:
"Is America possible?"
I am typing that question right now and my heart beats quickly and tears come to my eyes. Is America possible? Is it possible, especially now? We are so incredibly divided and we feel like the true definition of a fragile democracy. Is it possible for us to come together? Who does the work of bridging differences? If I value a multiracial, multiethnic and multireligious, democratic society, how do I work to bridge differences instead of spout anger? And how do I do so when a large population of people who voted on the other side don't like the color of my skin? How do we love through hate? I don't believe they are hateful people - but institutions, economics and a spiritual devoid has caused people to lose hope and therefore to not trust and to fear.
The media continues to feed all of these ideas to us about hatred and polarization and a frenzy that makes things feel so incredibly unstable. I have made an attempt to avoid the media, including social media like Facebook and Twitter.
I want to feel human and allow for others' humanity to manifest too. That feels like a certain kind of activism. My activism right now feels simple: the art of having real conversations. Real conversations where I listen to people express themselves and where I test and try out ideas. Because the truth is, I'm not sure what I believe right now in certain respects. I am certain about my uncertainty which leads me to Abraham Joshua Heschel.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
A book helping me to sort out anger, hope, violence, justice and God is Abraham Joshua Heschel: Essential Writings. Abraham Heschel was a rabbi who escaped Nazi Germany and was a deeply spiritual and religious man during a time of deep hatred and tensions in America. Heschel describes how, "There is no self-assurance or complacency in a religious person...I am afraid of people who are never embarrassed at their own pettiness, prejudices, envy and conceit."
In his time, Heschel spoke out against racism and the Vietnam War. He taught people about how to find a spiritual refuge in times of despair, but not to give in to complacency when things got bad. His kind of spirituality was an active one where he got out on the streets, where he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. As he stated,
"How many disasters do we have to go through in order to realize that all of humanity has a stake in the liberty of one person;whenever one person is offended, we are all hurt. What begins as inequality of some inevitably ends as inequality of all."
Again, I love how activism is not just through protests. To me, activism can literally mean activating our hearts to care for humanity's interests.
Which brings me to a quote from Robert Kennedy that I read a few days ago that moved me:
Robert Kennedy
In a speech to students in 1966 South Africa, Kennedy went on to name the four civic dangers that derail one's idealism:
- Futility – the belief that no one person can make a difference “against the enormous arrays of the world’s ills.
- Expediency – abandoning principles and beliefs in the name of immediate needs.
- Timidity – if we lose courage, we lose our voice. If we lose our voice, we lose our will to act. If we lose our will to act, we lose our ability and desire to stay idealistic and effect change.
- Comfort – the “temptation to follow the easy and familiar path of personal ambition so grandly spread out before those who have the privilege of education”
I look at the past 48 hours as a time where I have probably spent more moments speaking about the political, the personal and a fragile democracy than I ever have in my life. I do not want to give into futility. I think conversations give space to grieve, to allow for moments of silence, to allow for despair, but also to allow for possibility.
My conversations started on the night of the election with Anay and two dear friends. It continued with friends and family in the morning. Then at work. And then over dinner with Anay. We went out to get Indian food and he started sketching his ideas on a piece of paper...trying to make sense of all of what we were experiencing without the noise and clutter. It continued with breakfast the next morning with my friend where we asked questions like, 'What do we do now? What do we do as citizens do now? How do we have conversations with people that hate us? Do we even want to?" On my way back from work, I got to speak with one of my best friends where we asked even more questions. We ended off the night having amazing friends over, drinking a bottle of wine and trying to deconstruct Obamacare, determine who feels left behind, what this means for the future, how we will get involved. Side note: lasagna, wine, and salted caramel ice cream sandwiches can do a lot for the soul as we search for answers.
All I can say is that those conversations are my precious gold right now along with these books and ideas. And finally, I end with a quote my music teacher shared from Toni Morrison based on an article she wrote in the Nation several years ago.
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison wrote about the moment when Bush was elected in 2004 and the despair she felt. She shared this grief with her friend and he responded by saying:
Yes, let art heal us all. I believe this truth on such a deep soul level.
So there it is: Vincent Harding, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Robert Kennedy and Toni Morrison...if you're reading this and want to share more...do so...let's build that library to center our hearts.
I end of with Emeli Sande's song, 'Hope.' Not the abstract hope. Just something to light in us, if even softly these days.
Hope
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