The whirlwind has been in full swing this month but a highlight was definitely hearing the story of a veteran who is a survivor of addiction and homelessness. Testimonies like his keep us rooted at our collective heart-center and inter-connectivity. It’s too easy to get caught up in the statistics, data, etc., and unconsciously drift apart as human beings. I’ve witnessed this in philanthropic work, which initially caught me off guard. Maybe it’s because I came in with some rosebuds in my eyes. The theory vs. practice thing.
Whenever any of us are positioned to hustle for our worthiness for anything, it creates more performance than impact. I struggle against this and the notion that it’s just how it goes or has to be since it’s always been. I believe there are always other ways to move and groove through life. Besides, we are here to interrogate everything for harm and injustice and revolutionize the world towards more just and equitable ways of being. That starts with our mirrors and relationships with each other more than anything else. How we build power as a people is grounded in our evolving love-in-actions.
Franz Fanon once wrote that, “Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn't fit in with the core belief.” This is the mirror work.
He goes on to say, “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.” This is the collective work.
I ask myself, in my day to day living, where does my need for comfort and predictability cause me to “play the game” rather than create new paths of health for myself and the community. If equity and justice are at center, how might we move collectively toward a new way?
In the i am We Global Village vision, we recognize that all human beings are worthy and interconnected. We are also very intentional about assuring that our youth, elders, and other marginalized members of the community are cared for, centered, and cherished. We believe in a world in which repair is the answer to conflict, rather than separation and abandonment. A world in which the people doing the work of healing and restoration have the resources needed to support joy, growth, and wholeness.
i am We,
Rudy Bankston
