Today, as I sit to write, my heart is breaking for our collective humanity.  I am grieving not only for the loss of lives in Israel and Palestine, but also for the continued loss of Indigenous, Black and Brown lives here in North America. At times like these, I lean heavily on my PISAB (The People’s Institute of Survival and Beyond) community and our shared  principles  https://pisab.org/our-principles/. Transparently, it has taken me years to develop these relationships. It has meant taking the time to break bread with people, share stories, and to listen to each other as we sometimes  laugh and cry. It has also meant having many difficult and uncomfortable conversations. In addition to engaging with difficult conversations, we have built a solid foundation that creates space for disagreement, compassion and accountability. 

In times of crisis and fear, I have witnessed that we (human beings) tend to quickly  polarize when we feel threatened. We create an us against them paradigm.  When we are standing in these polarized positions, we create so much distance  that we can no longer see each other’s humanity. And when we can not see each other’s humanity, it is very easy to rationalize violence and other atrocities. We’ve seen this in history before – through the rationalizing of genocide of Native Americans. Through the rationalization of kidnapping and enslaving Africans. Polarizing creates scenarios where no one wins – we only get further and further away from what we could accomplish collectively. If we were able to embrace and hold each other’s different experiences and perspectives without fear of violence or threat, think about what could be accomplished.. 

At this moment, I am finding it difficult to imagine what peace looks like. However, I also know that we cannot create what we cannot  imagine – so I am digging deep into my heart to imagine what peace on earth could look like. I do believe that we can find a way to resist and push back without violence. But, for that to happen, we need to be willing to unlearn and untangle  ourselves from The Power Over  (Melanie Joy, PhD, “ Powerarchy: Understanding the Psychology of Oppression for Social Transformation”) mindset that we have embraced. We need to look at the ways competition, and internalized  oppression, keep us polarized. We need to come together to create new Power With (Melanie Joy, PhD, “ Powerarchy: Understanding the Psychology of Oppression for Social Transformation”)  systems and structures. If we are willing to do this, we can not only heal humanity but we can heal our damaged planet as well..  We will never be able to do this  if we continue to see some lives as more valuable than others.  

This paradigm shift means making room for  new ideas, new voices and new perspectives. It takes courage and it  means changing the way we communicate and seek to resolve conflict. I am currently taking an online Nonviolence training offered by The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (“The King Center”)  https://thekingcenterinstitute.org/ This training “provides insight into Dr. Martin Luther King’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning strategy to prepare people across the globe to embrace nonviolence as a lifestyle and as a vehicle for social change.” This is feeing  like a solid way to start. Dr. King’s strategy has helped me to see some light in all the darkness and it gives me some hope for peace.

The community, people and relationships  I have been building and nourishing also give me hope. They also allow me to experience what peace feels like. It isn’t a place without disagreement or conflict-it is a place that can hold disagreement without fear of rejection or retaliation. It is a place where we can hold each other’s different perspectives with curiosity and respect. It is a place where I feel seen and heard, even when people disagree with me. If we could create more of these spaces maybe we can really begin to head towards an earth where there is peace. peace on earth.