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| The Oppressor. Pastel on paper, 8/25/11 |
The woman in the photo could be any mom. Obliviously doing what she thinks is best for her child. She could be a school teacher, making an effort to keep the child out of trouble. Who does the child grow up to be? Rush Limbah? Michael Jackson? People overcome this experience and grow up to be amazing. And we are all amazing in some way. But still, I wonder if our early experiences make us afraid to challenge an unhealthy system when we see that others are being hurt or oppressed. So often, it is the subtle inequalities in our culture that sneak under our radar of caring. When are we going to realize that "we the people" are both the oppressors, by not taking a stand, and the oppressed, just by experiencing childhood? Perhaps we can start to change the future by changing the way we see children in our culture.
I wonder if it is possible to find some small light of compassion for our human condition and feed the flame of humanity with love until we find forgiveness.
I started by forgiving my mother for being a less than perfect mother. I forgave my teachers for being less than perfect teachers. Then I forgave myself for being a less than perfect mother. And forgiveness fell like rain. Forgiveness became the world all around. It soaked into the hard earth and began to grow whole gardens of non-judgement, where rows of flowers, vegetables and weeds grew in nature's imperfect way. And it is beautiful. I fell in love with humanity all over again. I fell in love with the oppressor inside myself. Now, can we lay down our arms? Can we stop "fighting" the people in charge and come at things from a whole new direction?
"Somewhere in the archives of crudest instinct is recorded the truth that it is better to be endangered and free than captive and comfortable." -Tom Robbins
Whoa! Intense. What do you mean by this?
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