My friend Jonathan posted this on Facebook after a tragedy at his home. I wanted to share these vital words with you as they are so important and will help us all navigate these fraught times living under the march towards fascism and world isolation being brought on by the current US administration.
(TGATP NOTE: The origin of these words are under debate — they were originally attributed to a “Hopi Chief White Eagle”—but it appears that may not be the true source. But, whoever first uttered or wrote them, they are still true and will be a great help to us. There were also some grammatical errors that I fixed.)
“This moment that mankind is experiencing now can be seen as either a door or a hole. The decision to fall into the hole or go through the door is yours. If you absorb information 24 hours a day with negative energy, constantly nervous and pessimistic, you will fall into the hole.
But if you take the opportunity to look at yourself, use the time to rethink life and death, to care for yourself and others, you will walk through the door.
Keep your home and your body safe. Connect with your real home — your spiritual home. When you take care of yourself—mind, body, and Spirit— you take care of everyone else.
Don’t underestimate the spiritual dimension of this crisis. Take the perspective of an eagle that sees everything from above with a broader perspective. There is a social issue in this crisis but also a spiritual issue. They both go hand in hand.
Without the social dimension we fall into bigotry.
Without the spiritual dimension, we perish in pessimism and meaninglessness.
Are you ready to pass this crisis? Then, pack your toolbox and use all the tools at your disposal.
Learn resistance from the example of the Indian and African people: We were, and are still being threatened, with erasure and extinction. But we have never stopped singing, dancing, building bonfires, and experiencing Joy.
Don’t feel guilty for feeling happy in these difficult times. It doesn’t help at all to be sad or angry. Resistance is resistance through Joy! You have every right to be strong and positive. And there’s no other way to do this than by adopting a beautiful, cheerful and empathetic attitude.
This has nothing to do with alienation, ignorance, or delusions about the world —it’s a resistance strategy.
When we walk through the door, we are given a new worldview because we have faced our fears and overcome adversity. That’s all we can do now.
So:
– Seek solace in the storm
– Keep calm, pray daily
– Make it a habit to meet the Holy everywhere, everyday.
– Show resistance through art, Joy, trust and Love.”
Let’s all do these things together, TGATP readers and in the words of Rumi:
“Out beyond right and wrong there is a field.
I’ll meet you there.”
