There are moments, far too many in the past eight years or so, in which the world is too much with me. In my role as a therapist, I witness people’s grief and loss and trauma as they unpack experiences that may have occurred decades earlier. I do my best to hold space for them without taking it on. In the therapeutic field it is known as secondary or vicarious trauma. Sometimes it feels as if I am absorbing their emotional pain through my skin. I often need to shake it off, slough it off, sage it off, cry it out, vent it out and still it clings to me. Because it is my profession, it can be considered an occupational hazard. Because I am human, I am not immune to the pain that is swirling around me. I choose not to avoid the news. I just watch or listen until I need to turn it off. I want to stay informed. I don’t want to be overwhelmed or incapacitated with grief. I also don’t want to numb myself against it. So I turn to kindred spirits with whom I can share the tidal wave of emotions. I also turn to my keyboard to express what I would otherwise stuff down, which would render me unable to be of service.
In the past few days I have processed with people who share my social justice sensibilities and my desire to do something positive to change the culture that perpetuates hatred and violence. The most recent violation of human decency came with the release of the bodycam footage of the assault on Tyre Nichols, the 29 year old Black man who was stopped by Memphis, Tennessee cops for an alleged traffic violation. I can’t conceive what went through the minds of the mob of five officers who beat him to the point of near death. His life ended three days later in the hospital. The five who were part of what was called the SCORPION Unit which has since been deactivated, were fired and then charged with multiple crimes. I can’t imagine that when they began their shift, they planned for it to end the way it did. I also know that Nichols didn’t plan on losing his life when his day began and when he last saw his parents and four year old son, that it would be for the final time.
In the past three weeks, there have been other such preventable tragedies such as 39 mass shootings. These 72 who were murdered and 167 wounded were simply going about their business when they became victims of rage and hatred.
In the halls of government roam elected officials who still deny the legitimacy of the 2020 election, even though they don’t contest down ballot elections that brought some of them and their colleagues into office. Many have no agenda except to upend the current administration rather than tend to the jobs they were voted in to do.
In public schools, boards of education are running roughshod over teachers and LGBTQ+ students, taking away their support systems, banning books, denying them the right to speak about sexuality and gender, diversity and social justice. A school district in my area has passed what is called Policy 321 which alleges to prevent politicizing anything in the classroom. That means taking down rainbow flags which had communicated an ‘I’ve got your back’ mentality. Teachers have their hands tied as the Superintendent planned town hall meetings to instruct teachers and staff about how to navigate the waters. It had a ‘just deal with it and don’t make waves attitude’ about it.
Last week, the principal of Central Bucks South High School ordered the school librarian to take down four posters with a well known quote by author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. The quote came from Wiesel’s 1986 Nobel acceptance speech and reads: “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” It was deemed too political. With community protest, the quote was reinstated.
Ah, the power of shared purpose and community involvement. At a rally I attended week or so ago, organized by students in protest of Policy 321, one of the chants shared which rocked me to my core and which I have been repeating since then, is “Pride is not political.”
One thing I know is that LGBTQ+ rights are not political. They are human rights. Black Lives Matter is not political. It is about human rights. Acknowledging the climate crisis is not political. It is about literally saving our planet.
I am grateful that I have the tools to scream out the collective pain of the world so I don’t drown in it. And only then can I take action that is meaningful.
“The world howls for social justice, but when it comes to social responsibility, you sometimes can’t even hear crickets chirping.”
―
Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community. A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities. A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.