You Are A Light
Today I went out early, just before the morning sun rose over the ridge. The moon was still up sitting high in the sky next to the big redwood by the road. As I walked towards the tangled thorny blackberry bushes, the blue jays flushed away with a rush of wings. Over the last few weeks now, a sort of us vs them has arisen in my mind between the blue jays and I. I have been watching them eat the apples and the berries and I told myself, those are my berries, this is my land. But as I stood under the open sky eating the berries ripe with summer, I realized that I am the same as my bird relatives. We all need to eat to live. I can imagine that the jay with its bright blue feathers and jaunty mohawk takes as much morning pleasure in the plump fruit as I do.
Who do you divide out of your heart? The police, the protestors? The president of your country, the opposing political party? This is war in the heart and mind. Those people that you are blaming and hating, they are your human relatives. They too want to be healthy and have safety for their families.
I suppose that an argument could be made that it is easier to love a blue jay than someone on an opposing side to you politically especially in times like these where human life rests in the balance. And of course, the teachings of nature and truth do not deny the harsh realities of the world. But I wonder how much good it does to hate the other. I know that hatred does not move us forward; it does not solve the problems of racial inequity, climate degradation, and economic disparity. It only darkens the heart with the same divisions that we are trying to change. When practicing yoga, we can learn to stretch more than just our hamstrings. We can practice loving kindness and mindfulness meditation to train the heart towards kindness and non-harming. There are so many examples of people both inside and outside of the limelight with huge hearts to teach us. We can look to leaders like Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai to show us the way. John Lewis said it better than I can:
"You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light … Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.” John Lewis