I just watched the Netflix thirty-minute documentary on Ram Dass “Going Home.” Richard Alpert was a Jewish psychologist trained at Tufts and Stanford. He held a professorship at Harvard for two years until he was dismissed (along with Timothy Leary) for his unconventional studies with students into the effects of hallucinogens on consciousness. Later he went to India to study how to sustain the feeling of unity that he got from his psychedelic trips. He talked about an idea that I’ve heard before (it may have been one of his lectures!) It is not unusual that we are individuals. What is amazing is that we are all connected.
I’ve often felt that “God” or soul or universal energy (call it what feels right to you) is the space between the molecules. Everything on earth is made up of atoms which are protons and neutrons in the core and electrons which orbit the core. The combination of these three elements is what makes up different type of matter, but they all have the space between the core and the orbiting electrons! I believe that it is this space in between that connects us all.
Today the U.S. president (I struggle to say my president) is creating a world of fear and division. It’s based on power over individuals rather than a collective well-being. His blaming and name calling separates him from others and gives others the right to do the same. He scorns “socialism” because of the premise that the government controls everything that is collectively owned. He dismisses the socialist ideal, which strives to reduce or eliminate economic inequality by distributing wealth to all. Democratic Socialism fundamentally opposes the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of private owners under capitalism while emphasizing the democratic processes and individual liberties. It is possible to help society thrive as a whole made up of individuals as well support financial rewards for individuals based upon their contributions. (Though often it seems based upon nepotism and inheritance, but that’s another blog post!)*
That brings me to the main point of today’s post: working to realize that we are all in this together, rather than fighting to be the individual that we are. Small actions are just a powerful as great ones if done enough times and by enough people. A politician who believed in working for the people is remembered today.
Five years ago, July 18, 2020, Georgia Representative John Lewis passed away. “Do not get lost in a sea of despair,” he tweeted almost exactly a year before his death (six years ago). “Do not become bitter or hostile. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble…When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, say something! Do something! Get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble.”
I feel that we often think this means doing something big, like a protest, or a political action. I want to offer it means doing something in daily life. After all, small steps are not only easier to take, but when put together and by many people large changes can happen.
The other day, I was eating my lunch at Broxton Plaza, half a block where they turned the road into an outdoor public gathering area. There were fast food restaurants, tables and chairs, a piano, and several games: Foosball, a large chess set and a table with large Jenga blocks.
I watched three teenagers play the Jenga util it fell and they started to walk away leaving the blocks in a heap. “Hey, why don’t you put that back to inspire the next person to play?” They looked at me and then put the blocks back into the tower. I gave them a thumbs up as they left and said something simple like, “Good job.”
A while later, a single young person started playing with the blocks until they fell. He started to walk away. Again, I shouted, “Hey, why don’t you put that back to inspire the next person to play?” He looked at me, at the blocks, back at me and shook his head. As he started to leave, I jumped up and said, “I’ll help you.” We put the blocks back into tower form. When we were done, I said, “Team work makes dream work.”
None of those four young people said anything back to me. I wonder if they thought I was some crazy old lady. Though, I’m hoping that a seed of looking out for the next person just might have been planted. If they hear it again, it will be watered and the third time it may grow into an idea that they carry out into the world to be a seed for someone else. My hope is that we all know we can be the seeds of change.
*interesting graphs of percentages income and wealth in the U.S. See it while it still exists! https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/dataviz/dfa/distribute/chart/