As we watch events in #Ferguson as they play out, or as we watch any events anywhere in the world, can we balance our human need for justice with a spiritual compassion?
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For days my home town, and the nation, has watched in horror as a young man’s death became an epicenter for every group and agenda relating to race, government overreach of power, poverty, and police accountability.
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Yesterday morning I sat in a beautiful spiritual ceremony based on an Indian ritual of tying a small bracelet, or bond, to remind the wearer that we are soul, our true nature is peace, and love, and joy, and that we have a greater source of spiritual power which feeds us and nurtures us and remembers us as the pure souls which we truly are.
I came to this ceremony after watching the life stream broadcast of the events in Ferguson, MO in the wake of Mike Brown’s death. For days my home town, and the nation, has watched in horror as a young man’s death became an epicenter for every group and agenda relating to race, government overreach of power, poverty, and police accountability. And I have watched with them.
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I have sought out the stories of others for The Good Men Project, but written little. Because my voice, as a white female, was not the vital one. Even though I live just south of downtown St. Louis, this is not my story. But I’ve also written little because I felt that no one would hear a voice of love and compassion. And that is what I have promised myself to be. What I hear people screaming for is justice, more than justice, judgment. That seems to be the demand being made on the powers that be, including God. Certainly that is what the media I see, both traditional media and social media, reflects.
So I came into that sacred space with the residue of sadness, helplessness, anger, and fear that I had accumulated through days and nights of monitoring a story — horrific anywhere in the world, but made surreal when I recognized the landmarks.
All souls, acting in this drama.
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But as I released that residue, and remembered that I am not the human who plays a role in the drama called life, but I am, instead, a soul who uses this body and illusion of human life to create through my actions, to learn lessons, to experience fully the divine through having to seek it out within myself, I remembered that the same is true of Michael Brown. The same is true of Darren Wilson, the officer who has been named as having shot and killed Michael Brown. The same is true of every protester, every looter, every government official, every celebrity, every radical group leader, every person who has come to add their voice to the demand for justice or to use these events for personal gain or to further their agenda. All souls, acting in this drama.
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I let myself fantasize then, a little “what if” scenario of what the media would look like if we all believed/remembered that we are souls. That as souls we are equally divine, equally unique, and equally valuable.
What if, when we raise our cameras, place our fingers on the keyboard, speak out our truths in public places, or even when we watch the coverage being fed to us through media outlets, what if we held that thought just a little higher than the others?
Could we hold our ground for human justice, while holding space in our hearts for human souls?
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Could we hold our ground for human justice, while holding space in our hearts for human souls?
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Because one does not negate the other. Justice of our courts and on our streets is a necessary part of the drama — heroes come into being when faced with adversity and villains, these events have created many villains, but many heroes have stepped onto the street, and some have taken a place in the history books.
Giving is also a necessary part of the drama — and these events give many the opportunity to give, of their hearts, their time, their talents, as well as their material goods.
Creatives especially, have played a role in the drama. From the videos like Stand For Peace & Justice: A Look At What’s It’s Like In The Middle Of #Ferguson, to imagery like Telling a Story With Our Hands Raised – The Photos and History of #DontShoot, or #LastWords: A Tribute to Men Killed by Police, photographers, artists, writers, and musicians have shared their views and their vision.
We ARE the media. We choose the story.
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It doesn’t matter if you are a hero, an artist, a celebrity, or if you happen to be one of the officials or jury members who will likely be charged with writing the last chapter in this volume of the epic tale, you can play your human part without denying the divinity in all people.
We all can.
Twitter co-founder and St. Louis native, Jack Dorsey, who came “home” to St. Louis to be part of the protests, spoke the truth: “People’s cameras outnumber and outbroadcast the cameras.”
We ARE the media. We choose the story.
If we spread hate and anger then that is what comes of Ferguson. If we spread hope, determination, love and healing then THAT is what comes of Ferguson.
How will we choose to tell this story? With hate and anger? Or love and compassion?
People’s cameras outnumber and outbroadcast the cameras. https://t.co/wW7Z9jvQFr
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— Jack (@jack) August 16, 2014
Photo/twitter