A Call for Solidarity

Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse on Unsplash

It has been a tough few months.  Instead of listening to Christmas music on the radio and searching for the uplifting messages of our time, I have been drawn to try and understand the stream of terror events that dominate our collective spaces.  Trying to understand how someone can so senselessly and without shame kill innocent, well meaning people is beyond all of our ability to grasp.  Our tears of sadness for those hurt and killed in Paris were still flowing in the disbelief that the same evil energy could be invoked on the ordinary community of San Bernardino, California.  These recent events are in no way isolated.  I am certain the families of those killed   in Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec 14, 2012 are still trying to grapple with the death of their children or teachers who simply went to school that day. The parents of the news reporters killed in Virginia just four months ago find themselves trying to pilot the Holidays amidst irreconcilable loss. All acts of random violent hate qualify as terrorism.  How can we collectively breathe deeply when such hatred seems to be infiltrating the veins of our humanity? 

The space between many of us is heavy with fear and distrust for those who wish to perpetuate terrorism. We are living in a scary time. All we have to do is listen to cable news, scroll a Facebook feed, or talk by the work place water cooler to know the opinions of how to navigate this time of fear are strong and divisive.

I wonder how we get back on track so that the energy of kindness and compassion drive our actions and motivations to make the world better. I wonder what Martin Luther King would say. I wonder what John Lennon would be singing. We desperately need voices of leadership and songs of our times that call us to be strong but compassionate; smart but understanding; and in no way should we ever turn our evolutionary journey back to a time when we exclude, dismiss or lump the character and value of someone because of their religious belief or ethnic heritage.The lessons of recent history are written in ink that isn’t even dry. I was talking with a friend, Carole Garland, a retired teacher with the Centerville School District who spoke openly about the four years her parents were forced to live in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Despite the fact that both were born in the state of Washington and clearly home grown citizens of this country, the fear of the times resulted in thousands of Japanese Americans pushed to leave their homes, separate from family, and perform manual labor at the discretion of others whose power superseded the rights guaranteed by our Constitution. How could that happen? Carole went on to say she believes her parents’ lives were forever defined by the shame, oppression and anguish experienced while living in the barracks of the camp.Hitler somehow led thousands into believing it was ok to terrorize and kill millions of people because they were Jewish. And the justification of how anyone could whip, sell and make into slaves those with blacker skin is horrifying. These chapters in our history leave me perplexed. I have a very hard time understanding how minds can be twisted so that the capacity to reconcile injustice to masses of people becomes acceptable.Please tell me we as Americans are capable of standing together, united in our solidarity to one another. Please tell me those with louder voices than mine have the integrity and moral compass to denounce discrimination and bigotry. We need to be a strong and united people in this time of threat and uncertainty. History has taught us that we do better together than we do divided. I would imagine for those in our military who are putting their lives on the line would rather be serving the land of the free rather than the land of chosen. For our neighbors, for our active military, for our families, and for the good and decent in all of us, I hope we can all link arms in solidarity to fight from a place of love and acceptance. Join me in believing this is our collective call.