Break through, or break down

Walking with a friend, we wondered out loud: “Do they have to break everything?” Climate change, immigration, elections, trans rights, women’s rights, human rights, education, international alliances, the social safety net, all broken or under attack.

And why? Is it as simple as greed? As morally repugnant as racism and misogyny? As complex as global socio-political movements?

What is so difficult about committing to an ethic of care: care for one another, care for our physical environment, care for our health, care for the generations coming along after us?

What vulnerability or shame is hidden in this need to break everything?

Maybe, we thought, it was already broken, and these years are making the broken parts finally too visible to ignore.

And will we use this visibility to reckon with our dark side, our vulnerabilities, our own shames? Or will we settle for papering it over (again), and hoping for a different outcome next time?

The work calling us in this moment is deep and difficult. Our tools are powerful: love, joy, care, justice.

I’m convinced it is up to us, each one of us, who see ourselves as members of a beautiful human family, to determine whether these tools are powerful enough.

We will either break through, or break down. And we won’t know the outcome until it is in our rear-view mirror.

So hang in there, be mindful of your energies and needs, and keep up the truly good work.