I have been thinking about how we find the strength to move forward as a nation and rebuild our systems: policing, governance, economic. COVID-19 and George Floyd’s death revealed how much work we have to do as a nation. It can feel crushing.
And I think about our emphasis on the independence of individuals in our nation. And the flip side of that is isolation: the challenge of coming together as a people for something larger than ourselves. The act of being separated from each other and isolated in our little box homes during the COVID crisis has made this isolation worse, for me making the feeling that I am alone to shoulder the burdens of the Earth feel more real.
And so it is no wonder that we look at the magnitude of changes that have arrive urgently at our doors and we say: impossible. The sheer volume of work to be done is a crushing thought for one person. But we are not one person. We are billions of people. So I came up with some imagery to combat this perception of isolation that I’d like to share with you in case you are similarly struggling:
Imagine that you and your fellow humans are arms of the same divine Being. There are billions of you. So many arms to shoulder so much work. How light does that pile of work feel when there are so many arms carrying it? So light. How does the energy feel – flowing, bold, fortifying.
We need to connect with each other, trust each other, rely on each other to do the work that must be done. And while we are in the process of coming together, while we are still coming out of isolation and figuring out how to connect with each other in a stronger, more fortifying way, when the thought of that too heavy burden comes rushing towards you, to crush your momentum, mobilize the image of billions of arms stepping forward to shoulder the burden. To lift the heavy blocks, to rebuild the systems, to push back against tyranny, greed, oppression. Billions of those arms.
Go, fight, win.