Social justice | Joy's Edge

Archive for Social justice

Breathing Freely

September 10, 2020 / Robin King / No comments

This blog is mostly focused on the inner work of self development. Even so, no person is an island. Those around us can be powerful teachers, shining light on our paths as we do our inner work. Current events have pushed me to write more broadly, reflecting on social justice. In these reflections, I have found that Metta (loving-kindness) is a powerful tool, creating space for shadow work: creating space to effectively work with and through that which is uncomfortable.

Six years ago, the phrase “I can’t breathe” entered our national conscience. After Eric Garner died in a police choke hold, his last words echoed throughout the news and social media. People protested against police brutality across America. Many police departments reviewed and revised policies and training regarding the use of force. Even so, Americans continue to die by lethal force by law enforcement. Most who have been killed were armed, but many had no weapons. Research found that victims were disproportionately likely to be Black Americans (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC6080222/). In May, our nation was horrified to hear those words once again. This time, George Floyd pleaded “I can’t breathe” as a policeman knelt on his neck for several minutes, eventually killing him.

Wildfires have been devastating this summer. California has lost 2.5 million acres so far (a “modern record and nearly 20 times what had burned at this time last year”, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/us/fires-washington-california-oregon-malden.html), and communities in Oregon and Washington State were destroyed. The San Francisco sky glows eerie orange. Fires continue to burn throughout the American West, spurred on by climate change and problematic fire control policies (https://www.propublica.org/article/they-know-how-to-prevent-megafires-why-wont-anybody-listen).

Last weekend, in Colorado, the fire nearest to my home mushroomed in size, propelled by heat and powerful winds. The Cameron Peak Fire has had very little containment since its ignition August 13 (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6964/). The fire crews weren’t able to get ahead of it due to the mountainous terrain and the large number of beetle-killed trees in its path (a result of climate change). Saturday evening, ash resembled snow as it fell from the sky. Two hours before sunset, the sky glowed an unsettling amber as a dark red sun floated well above the horizon. Even with a mask, the air was thick and irritating. I felt those words echo, “I can’t breathe.”

Without setting a specific intention, I felt Metta arising in response. I felt Metta arising for those who have suffered police brutality and systemic racism. I felt Metta arising for those who are protesting the abuses. I felt Metta arising for those breathing in polluted air – whether from forest fires or other sources. I felt Metta arising for those who, afraid of Covid-19, no longer breathe deeply when near strangers. I felt Metta arising for those who, afraid of the unrest in America today, hold their breath metaphorically.

Tuesday, we received surprisingly early snowfall – 14” of snow dampening our wildfire. Overnight, the ash and smoke disappeared, and the air once again felt safe. Walking through Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday, grateful for the snow and ice, I felt Metta arising. May we all be well in body and mind. May we be at peace. May we breathe freely.

Category: Life, Social justice /

Consciously healing in tumultuous times

June 28, 2020 / Robin King / No comments

The 2020 backstory

We are living in a tumultuous time in the world, with so much demanding our attention. The World Health Organization declared Covid-19 to be an international health emergency on January 30. We saw people dying painful deaths caused by a new virus that spreads incredibly easily. Watching a news segment in February, I was shocked and saddened by the devastation caused by Covid-19 in Italy and Spain. America was slow to register the threat, but by March and April, it was focused on responding to the novel coronavirus. This spring, countries all over the world took measures to limit social interactions to reduce the spread of the disease, and the economy in response had the most significant downturn since the Great Depression. Economists are hopeful that there will be a “v-shaped” recovery, but “w-shaped” and slow recoveries are also possible.

As the summer approached, there was an intense focus on when social restrictions could be lifted, and how the impacts on the economy could be contained. In the U.S., since federal guidance was limited, states and localities chose starkly different approaches, and researchers studied the health and economic impacts of those decisions. Then, on May 25, attention quickly pivoted as a new concern came sharply into focus: George Floyd’s murder by police in Minneapolis was recorded in a video that sent shockwaves around the world. Since then, many stories of racial bias and systemic racism have emerged. Even Covid-19 had such a story, as American communities of color were disproportionately affected by the virus. Recently, I was especially heartbroken to read about Elijah McClain’s death in Colorado in 2019. The stories have been eye-opening, humbling, and outrageous, and they have started a process for grieving and for effecting change. Tremendous energy has arisen driving efforts to correct social wrongs; there have been protests in the streets all around the world with people demanding equality and justice. Meanwhile, cases of Covid-19 continue to be a serious concern, particularly in the United States.

Processing this moment

As a nation, and as a world, we are having deep conversations about what it means to live as a community in terms of freedom, accountability, and responsibility for each others’ well being. It is a time for exposing shadows – for seeing that which we haven’t seen before. In that process, a multitude of emotions may arise. Many of us are experiencing grief, anger, frustration, shame, guilt, defensiveness, overwhelm, excitement about the possibilities, and a thousand other emotions.

In this period of change, one consideration that has been important for me is that I keep my eye on the ball. It is essential to channel this energy to effect change towards greater connection, community, and fairness. Yes, emotions arise. There is no need to repress emotions. They will be present whether you choose to acknowledge them or not, and I’ve found more freedom to release them when I acknowledge and allow them to arise and pass. On the other hand, there is no need to indulge in emotions. I’ve seen some posts that say that, if you aren’t grieving, you aren’t responding correctly. Or, if you aren’t angry (or, you are angry), you are doing it wrong. As well, some posts suggest the writer may be too emerged in shame or guilt to be able to address the issues at hand. I’ve found a deep invitation to allow everyone to be in their own authentic reactions. At the same time, for myself, I’ve found that it is valuable to not overly indulge – to not “get stuck” in strong emotions; to allow what is present to be present, to acknowledge it, and to let it go when it is ready to be released. In that way, I can conserve energy and focus on the work that needs to be done.

So, I am excited about taking advantage of this opportunity. I am excited about meeting the invitation to see what wasn’t seen at the personal, familial, and societal levels. Many white people have been surprised to see systemic racism that has long been obvious to people of color. This work is hard, and it can feel natural to react with fatigue and a closing heart. Instead, I find a call to resiliently lean in, willingly letting heart and mind open. After viewing, I am feeling it necessary to effect change for greater equality and justice from that place of a broader vision, doing my own shadow work and supporting societal transformation towards equality and justice. I’d love for us to find out together how deeply healing can take root when deeply nourished by compassion and wisdom.

Category: Corona reflections, Life, Social justice /

Exploring shifting perception

May 31, 2020 / Robin King / No comments

One of the most potent and compelling recent societal shifts, from my perspective, has been the deepening public conversation concerning white privilege. Part of the discussion is that white people typically have so much to say, and it is time to genuinely listen to people of color. So, while I’ve done quite a bit of reflection, I haven’t written much about the topic. Today, I wanted to write a few words in response to recent events.

The nature of existence is that perception is filtered through experience. As much as we feel we have shared realities, to some extent, our realities are personal constructions. What each of us thinks, believes, and perceives, is intertwined in a largely unconscious activity of creation. For that reason, the idea of a truly objective, shared reality may well be fiction. In writing Joy’s Edge, I explored perception from a variety of angles. My explorations were informed by my own experiences – my own life. In that way, they are, of course, only a limited, personal view.

Many researchers and thinkers have identified ways in which cellphone usage has adversely impacted our societies. For example, people are often more attentive to their cellphones than to the people in the room. People can get addicted to “likes” on social media platforms, anxiously reviewing and comparing feedback. As well, cell phones help to amplify the 24-hour news cycle, and many react with increasing anxiety to constant updates concerning problems in the world. Consequently, it is important to be conscientious about one’s cellphone use.

Even so, cell phones have brought about one profound and welcome change: people who are being treated unfairly, and even illegally, now frequently have their experiences recorded by cellphones. Often, the recordings are made by victims or by witnesses. Sometimes, videos are recorded by perpetrators, unaware of how badly their own behavior will be perceived. Cell phone video, especially when it is long, unedited, with relatively still camera handling, provides a measure of objectivity, and thus a sense of shared reality.

These days, most people have cellphones. Many are willing and able to record situations that they sense are dangerous. Such video documentation has been instrumental in identifying issues of police abuse and other types of threatening behaviors. A few years ago, many hoped that police body cameras would curtail abuses. For a variety of reasons, they haven’t had the dramatic impact that was once anticipated (https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2020/01/14/body-cameras-may-not-be-the-easy-answer-everyone-was-looking-for). However, citizen recordings have been profoundly useful in uncovering inappropriate, illegal, and dangerous behaviors. People can stand up for what they feel is right. They can record, share, and post videos.

In the case of George Floyd’s murder, a powerful collective “No” arose in response to video evidence. Without video evidence, people could argue about circumstances, such as whether the police were facing a dangerous situation. However, a long, unedited video showed the terrifying last few minutes of a man’s life as he was killed by those who had sworn to serve and protect him. We can disagree about a lot. But, when we see a man face down, hands handcuffed behind his back not resisting, one policeman with his knee on his neck and three more standing around not intervening while a crowd shouts and pleads for his life, a cop literally choking the life out of someone as people beg him to stop, there’s no argument. The video documents a profound abuse of power, a profound disregard for human life – and a profound assault to everyone’s humanity, everyone’s peace. So, I’m grateful that it is so much easier now for us to document abuse. I’m grateful that people are speaking up and asking those who do the talking to listen. I’m grateful that powerful, painful, essential conversations are taking place. I’m hopeful that as we create more of a sense of shared reality, as we see things through each others’ eyes, we’ll get better at honoring each others’ humanity.