Guest Essay by Akekho Umuntu

Today’s guest essay is by Akekho Umuntu, a subscriber to “Compassionate Conversations.” For a long time, I have been fascinated by the comments and messages that he shares and believe that you and other readers will appreciate them as well. I asked him if I could share these with you, and he kindly agreed. It makes me very happy that subscribers and other readers are sharing such in depth reflections on this platform. Thank you.

Thoughts on Imagining a Compassionate Society

My greatest hopes for the future are unlimited, but some are that our history will begin to face the reality that shaped our nation and thereby planted seeds of violence and greed. Now that we see that “strange fruit” come forth, I hope that by truth telling we can repair and restore, to come to see that our greatest strength is the richness of the variety of cultures that make up our society. I hope for a future where my granddaughter is seen as a beautiful Ojibwe woman who knows her culture and keeps Ojibwemowin alive and vibrant. I hope for a future where my son can use his energy to help heal minds that have suffered and fallen ill. I hope for a future where black and brown bodies are not seen as threatening and are no longer killed by police in the thousands.

I dream a future where people can manifest compassion, loving kindness, sympathetic joy and equanimity for all. Where we learn that we can even cultivate these qualities for those who we see as “enemies” and therefore can find humanity in them and ourselves. Truth and reconciliation are for me the way. At times we may lose faith and believe that these dreams are only that, dreams. But our possibility is unlimited. Or perhaps only limited by conditioning. But that is not fixed. Therefore, unlimited.

But it is necessary to walk the eightfold path. To carry ourselves with virtue, concentrated on our goal, girded with discernment. This is open to all faiths and cultures. We think, speak and act without violence and harm. The same with open hands and hearts untainted with greed and possessiveness. We respect each other and choose not to reduce each other to our conceptions of gender and sexuality. We learn to be kind and respectful with our words. We utilize our speech to encourage ourselves and others to love and support the beloved community. We learn to let go of clinging, of facing fears and hurts by healing rather than turning to mind numbing. I imagine a society where happiness is the ultimate wealth and we work together to create happiness for each other. This is my dream.

Thoughts on Caring for Old Age, Sickness, Death and Planting Seeds

I am well. I am feeling the inevitable aging, sickness and mortality and yet I’ve made peace and acknowledged what I can do and what is set. It’s been interesting times with the invasion of an occupying force in my city again in the last 6 years. But each time the everyday people have stood up and bore the brunt of brutality, some even with their lives, to say we care about our neighbors, we love them and are willing to bear discomfort and persecution and prosecution for them. I have learned the lesson that fear is a natural response and right to recognize and hold, that it is through fear that bravery and courage are developed. We continue to do good, whether it comes in our lifetime or not because we are planting seeds.

Thoughts on Our Crumbling Democracy and Courageous Activism

This is one of the things that I have been reflecting on. Like many people around the world, I watch with horror as our democracy crumbles, and we even inflict misery upon other countries. But, and it’s a huge but. It has shone a light on the weaknesses that are being exploited, and so we have the opportunity to strengthen those things that uphold our stated values. And I would even go further. It calls for us to really ask what are our guiding values, and how will we make them manifest. At most protests I attend, there is a recital of the Assata chant.

It goes like this: “We have a duty to fight for our freedom; we have a duty to win; we must love each other and support each other; we have nothing to lose but our chains.”

Among the chains we have to lose are fear, anxiety, hopelessness. Those are my thoughts. I know many of the “Righteous 39” and the 15 people who are now under federal charges. A reporter asked me if I was afraid. I said of course. It is wise to be afraid. He asked if I was intimidated. I said no. He asked why not. I said we all know that we depart this life at some point. I said we can go out standing up for our values, or we can bend the knee and submit. I choose to stand up. Thank you for your question.

Thoughts on My Life Journey

I am no one in particular, just thinking out loud. I am about living deliberately, holding onto privacy and freedom while they last, what activism asks of us, and what the Buddhists figured out centuries ago—plus the books, music, and films keeping me steady.

I have stood in the streets with many of those who were arrested. I have especially fought for justice for families who have had a loved one killed by police. I’ve been interviewed several times because I am on the front lines, and I’m not afraid to speak with the press. I’m 68 years old so getting on now and beginning to slow down.

I will tell you a little bit about me. Oh, to clarify I’m not Ojibwe, but my daughter is (more on that later) I was raised in the south (Virginia) in the late 50’s, early 60’s. Started life under a culture of racism and Southern Baptist. At around 6 years old, moved to the Western Suburbs of Chicago. Family changed to Lutheran and a quieter version of racism. Then another move to suburbs of Minneapolis when I was 12. All along, I would spend the summers back in Virginia with my Grandmother. But certain seeds were planted in me by my father. Divorced, but my big influence. He introduced me to shortwave radio, and so from a very young age I grew up listening to stations from around the world. It gave me a global perspective long before the internet and the shrinking of our world.

Secondly my Dad encouraged me to study Buddhism, the Hindu Vedas, and Chinese philosophy such as Taoism. He also said I should read Carlos Castaneda. So again a very global perspective outside of the usual. This impacted me and shaped me. I developed a fondness for contemplation and reading. During my teens, I began to speak to black students at my school and began to sense that I had not been told the truth about black people. Became friends and began to undo my conditioning. The late 60’s sparked an interest in the counterculture. I was married very early and later my wife left me for my “best friend” taking with her my infant son. I was distraught and felt a crisis of faith. Was encouraged by a friend to investigate Buddhism and learn to change my karma and suffering. Things get interesting. I fall in love with a black woman and we eventually marry. I had a Buddhist wedding and expressed my fear of a failed marriage to my priest. He told me that by marrying, I had formed a karmic bond, and now we would be born together lifetime after lifetime, so divorce would be futile lol.

We have been together since 1982. His words have kept me going. A bit of an odd twist now. My cousin encouraged me to apply for 911 and I did. I was hired as a 911 operator and end up working as police and fire dispatcher for 17 years. I embraced the culture and identity as “one of the good guys”. But gradually small cracks begin. I have difficulty with the concept of “bad guys”. I see incidents of racism in the profession, and I’m disturbed by the division of police and everyone who is not police. Then I observe the killings of innocent people, and everything begins to fall apart again. I began marching with Black Lives Matter. The police did not like that and eventually fire me. Despite that, I did my job very well.

So now I become more and more of an activist and begin another transformation.

Now to explain about my daughter and granddaughter who are Ojibwe. I also became a supporter of Native Lives Matter and began to stand with indigenous people advocating for native issues. I went to Standing Rock and protested the forced separation of native children into boarding schools. I stood with Native people when they pulled down the statue of Columbus at our state capitol. My daughter was initially a close friend, and after I risked arrest on several occasions for civil disobedience, she asked me to be her child’s grandfather as her father wasn’t on the scene. I felt honored. I didn’t realize how blessed I was. She referred to me as Dad and introduced me to her family as Dad and Grandfather of her daughter. As we spent much of our time together, I met many of her family members and her sister’s children started calling me Grandfather. So through compassion and care, I was blessed with a daughter, grandchildren and a whole family. Amazing.

So that is how I became connected to Ojibwe and Buddhism. I try to live as best as I can with my values that humanity is worthy of respect and love. In return I’m treated with respect and love.

I’ve learned that the best gifts are to stay open to others and to act with compassion and kindness. It’s easy to love those we love but to consciously practice kindness towards those we don’t is challenging. To hold space for the redemption of those who we think of as enemy brings us redemption. We really propel forward when we recognize that people have the potential to change.

Thank you for your kind words, for your informed writing and for your inspiration to strive to be better, be true, to act with compassion, kindness, and authenticity.,

With great prayers for your strength and health, peace and happiness, as well as for ease that comes through letting go of clinging.

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