Silent No More

"Fear is the path to the dark side.  Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering" -Yoda

We put too much stock in blaming inanimate objects or other people or oppression or [enter whatever you want here] as the reason why hate toward others is still so prevalent.  We blame guns for deaths and statues for racism.  We focus on the thought, "if we just tear down x it will make the world a better place" or "if we just control y it will change everything".  Why don't any of us stop and realize that it's our own internal fear that drives the interactions we have with others?  It's fear that leads to "us versus them" mentality.  It is fear that is truly the path to the dark side.  Fear deafens us.  We all scream and shout at each other thinking that if our voice is heard the loudest we'll change other people's beliefs.  Just stop talking!  Stop shouting!  Stop silencing everyone around you!  LISTEN!!

First, listen to the silence.  Listen to what can be heard when you aren't ranting.  What does nature sound like?  What is the Earth telling you?  What sensation does this cause?  Does the silence make you angry?  Does it bring you peace?  Do you feel like laughing or crying?  What is the message in between the silence?

Then, turn to the person you have been shouting over, the people silenced because they are afraid of speaking over you.  What do they have to say?  Learn what is important to them.  We all have something that makes us feel important, that is more valuable to us than anything else.  We all have hopes and dreams and fears.  We all have worries.  We all have a purpose.  What is the purpose of your interaction with the person next to you?  What makes them who they are?  And when you are done with this listening, realize that you only know that one person.  You cannot generalize what you learned from them to anyone else.

Now, listen to the next person and the next and the next.  We are all connected to one another in one way or another.  We all have families, we all have dreams, we all have hopes for the future.  If you think that tearing down one statue or removing all guns from non-military/non-LEO homes is what will change the story-line, then it will be a long road ahead.  You have only asserted your beliefs.  You have done little to hear the beliefs of the people around you.  You may be contributing to the fears of those around you, and that does not make you any better than what that statue stood for or what guns can do if used carelessly.

I applaud people who are willing to stand up for what they believe, but blaming today's bigotry on a statue from 1913 does not really make any sense.  Whether that statue is there or not, the history of the university has not changed.  You cannot change the past.  You cannot change history.  By trying to ignore history, you run the risk of repeating it.  What matters now is how you decide yourself, today, to make the world a better place.  Keep in mind, that world may just be a small piece of the planet we live on.  It may only be the few people you touch in your lifetime.  How are you going to make things better for that small sliver, and how are you going to show them how to pay it forward?  What is more important for your future children: telling them you pulled down a statue once and continued your life as it was or show them how you cared for other people throughout your lifetime?  What is going to have an indelible mark on them: a one time instance of disrespect for public property or a continual show of love toward others regardless of how society sees them?

I choose the latter.  I want my children to see me truly love my neighbor as myself.  I want them to see me sit with other people in their suffering and hear their story.  I want them to know that judgement was set aside, and true compassion for human life shown through.  I want them to understand that we are all equal, that we all experience joy and pain and sorrow.  I want them to know we all laugh and smile the same, we all seek comfort when we are lost or hurt, we all cry in the face of deep sorrow.  I want them to know what anger feels like and know that it is okay to be angry, but that it should never be directed toward another person or creature.  I want them to be curious and have a thirst to better know themselves and their world on a grand and small scale.  I want them to know love, deep passionate love, the love of the simple things in life, and the love that makes us want to care for others.  It doesn't matter how we look or act, we are all part of the same family.

Keeping that in mind, how can you change the world today for the person sitting next to you or in front of you or behind you?  You can listen to the story they tell and know that it is a beautiful thread in the cloth of humanity.  You know where that thread is and can marvel in its beauty.  You can let them know that you have seen and heard them and love them for who they are in whatever way you are capable.  This is what I want my legacy to be.