Title: FW: [globalnews] How Can I Serve? A Path of Spiritual Activism
From: http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0720-09.htm
Published on Saturday, July 20, 2002 in the Asheville Citizen-Times (North
Carolina)
How Can I Serve? A Path of Spiritual Activism
by Bruce Mulkey
"Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it
and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs
most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a
person to listen to his own goodness and act on it."
- Pablo Casals
"If you are coming to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you are
coming because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work
together."
- Australian aboriginal woman
"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and
love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time
they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall - think of it,
always!"
- Mahatma Gandhi
Around three decades ago I traveled from Tennessee to Washington, D.C. to
join a protest against the war in Vietnam. My housing had been
pre-arranged; the group I was traveling with would be staying with a family
of Quakers. The weather that weekend in November tested our resolve:
bone-chilling temperatures and a strong wind out of the north. Nonetheless,
we marched, we sang, half a million strong we came together confidently in
common cause. Late on the final day of the weekend, my brother-in-law,
Johnny, and I found ourselves in a group of agitators at the Justice
Department. I was caught up in the excitement of the moment - until the
D.C. police started discharging tear gas canisters into the crowd. We beat
a hasty retreat, and as I sat excitedly recounting the tale of the
confrontation, I noticed a troubled glance from the elderly man whose
hospitality we were enjoying, not disapproving, but gravely concerned.
Years later I would remember that expression as I read the words of
Marianne Williamson: "I am of a generation, which thought that we could
bring peace to the world, and we didn't think it mattered if we ourselves
were angry. What we learned is that an angry generation cannot bring
peace."
My last column on patriotism generated a number of responses: more than 60
via e-mail, probably around ten in person, all but a couple supportive. A
number of these readers said that, while they were heartened by my words,
they still wondered how to move into action. So today I share my thoughts
on that.
First of all, pay attention to what's going on in your community and in the
world. Don't try to hide from or close yourself off to the horrors that are
taking place. When you see the starving children with bloated bellies feel
the hurt, feel the anguish, feel the anger. And use your feelings as a wake
up call to action.
To discern what to do, quiet the chatter in your mind through meditation,
prayer, contemplation or a hike in the woods. Then listen. Each of us has a
gift to offer the world, and we become aware of how we might offer that
gift when we get in touch with our inner voice. Perhaps you've always
wanted to write a letter to your local newspaper, but your mind's internal
editor constantly heads you off at the pass. Ignore your editor and write
it anyway.
To make a difference in the world, become, as Gandhi says, the change you
want to see. If you want a peaceful world, explore inwardly and find that
peaceful part of yourself. Then rather than taking your anger and
resentment out on your co-worker for something he did or didn't do, find a
way to forgive . . . him and yourself.
Since we are all in this together, there really is no "enemy." We all want
to love and be loved. Any action that is not loving, any action that is
fear-based-abusive language, intolerant behavior, a violent act - is a cry
for love, whether it's coming from George W. Bush or Saddam Hussein.
Service to others can present the next step on our spiritual or
psychological path. If, for example, you offer a basket of food to a
destitute family in a condescending manner, your gift might feed the flesh,
but not the spirit - theirs or yours. And, if you become conscious of this,
you get an opportunity to understand the importance of humility and how
your well-being is inextricably intertwined with those whom you might
serve.
We do make a difference-individually and as a group. In fact, every loving
thought, every prayer, every compassionate action has a significant effect
on the world we live in and the fabric of our existence. We might be moved
to handle our own demons - the judgments, anger and negative beliefs that
do not serve us. We might be moved to listen to and hold a friend who is
hurting. We might be moved to serve a meal at the local homeless shelter or
build a house with Habitat for Humanity. We might be moved to put our
freedom on the line by protesting at the School of the Americas. Ultimately
we might be moved to gather in thousands, millions to say, "No more!"
Being human, we sometimes lose our way, forgetting who we are and what we
are called to do. At such times we might doubt our purpose and even become
hopeless. When I am in such a place, I frequently turn to a marvelous
touchstone, a quote by Frederick Buechner: "The place God calls you to is
the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."
Find this place for yourself and your next step will become clear.
Readers can contact Bruce Mulkey via e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Be the change you want to see in the world.
--Gandhi
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