Our Ears Are Wide Open! We Need & Hear Your Voice(s)
- Camp Goldston Publishing, LLC
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Voices Underground
I did a social media ask about why we are at war with Iran. People replied with sparse comments. Then I asked for reader’s Voices for this issue. I got nada. Zilch. Silence.
And honestly? I don’t blame anyone. We are living in a time when even speaking feels risky — when a post, a comment, a dissenting thought can be screenshotted, reported, or weaponized. How many of you have gotten kicked off Facebook, for example? Yes, it takes guts to speak out these days. (Respect to those who do.) But power doesn’t live only in public declarations. It lives in the words we share within trusted circles — words that strengthen our core, steady our truth, and, in Jesse Jackson’s words, “keep hope alive.”
Ranting
What good does ranting do? Why emote and discuss worldwide issues that delude us? I must say that sometimes it feels good to scream out loud about the fascism we’re currently experiencing. It clears the soul to let out what has recently been blowing your head off. However, here’s the thing. As David Hawkins in Letting Go: The Pathway to Surrender notes, "acting out" may temporarily ease what we feel, but does little to change the pathway of our objective, hope. Release is not the same as change. Ranting clears the air. It doesn’t necessarily clear the path. ‘What to do?
Join the Underground
…not in a political sense, but a spiritual sense. Underground doesn’t mean hidden. It means rooted. Visualize and say what you wish to see in the world through sacred, silent moments. I’m in a global group that sets its clocks on 1 PM, at which time we simply affirm what we wish to see in the world. I am tuned into the messages of Living Spirit Church, my tribe. (Where two or more gather…) But guess what? I realize I can effect change through my individual effort. I listen to my gospel playlist in the mornings, stretch for the physical, and pray and meditate for the spirit. What does this do for the world?
Monkey Time
The legend of 100 Monkeys is a great metaphor for how we can affect critical mass in the world. The legend holds that one monkey’s habit affected 100 monkeys who copied it, and soon monkeys all over the world were doing the same thing. Whether or not the legend is literal doesn’t matter. The metaphor holds: behavior spreads. Consciousness spreads. Fear spreads. So does courage. Y’all may laugh at this notion, but isn’t this what we’ve seen happen in global conservative leadership? The concept of critical mass contends that the same can happen if, as a group of conscious-minded folks, we affirm a progressive movement and move in ways that give power to the people. Beyond politics, to feed, house, and educate folks.
Action
I’m not advocating that we stop taking action to enable the process of justice and
peace, just that we realize our power in words we use and how we express them. Tell you a secret. There’s a whole legion of underground voices among the Garden Spices contributors and readers. We may not always shout. But we are not asleep.
“Keep hope alive.”
Victorine
Thank you for hearing our Voice in this issue of Garden Spices. Your
voice remains important to us, and we invite you to join our family of contributors.
Our next issue's topic is "Practice." What practices govern your life? How easy or hard is it to adhere to your intentions to maintain them?
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