Acceptance and activism

slavery
For many years I had questioned whether or not someone can live in acceptance while at the same time be an activist.
The answer became clear as I sat with this over a long period of time. I came to understand that it is our compassion that will always move us toward action, once we open our hearts and minds.

In the time of slavery, most accepted this because it was the norm in our society. In American hindsight, I think all of us can see that this should never have been acceptable. But the fact is, that it was for far too many years. And even today, we still have repercussions to face and repair.

Throughout the ages there have been so many behaviors and attitudes that we now can see were beyond reprehensible. And the only way that any of these changed was because some people, if only a few at the beginning, became a voice for the injustice and cruelty. And certainly there is no amount of silent acceptance that would have ever made a difference. Race, gender, socioeconomic, sexual orientation etc., would all be exactly the same as they were fifty or even one hundred years ago were it not for activism. Activism that was founded and fueled by compassion. Individuals who would not remain silent and were compelled to be a voice for those who had none.

Today we still face a multitude of prejudices and inequality towards other living beings. And we each have the choice to remain silent or speak up from a place of love. We make this choice every single day, and it’s a very powerful one indeed!
The challenge is to grow in awareness and understanding. And to see beyond our own privileged bubble of reality. People are suffering, animals are suffering, and each of us has the power to ease the suffering. And while we can not help every one, we can help so many. To help none is an excuse based in delusion and detachment. We are all connected and we all make a difference. Never ever have any doubt about this. It’s simply our choice whether or not to heal or harm.