“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” ― Buckminster Fuller
Several years ago in an interview about the music industry, Esperanza Spaulding shared a vision where musicians would have enough so they could tell the music industry: “No thanks. I’ve got this. I’m ok.” In other words, you don’t need to own me or the music I make here with my friends and fellow musical professionals. We can arrive and jam and riff-off each other and improvise together because the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid is intact and our health, education, food, shelter, retirement etc are paid for so we feel safe and secure and can make beautiful shared music that we own together.
Label and degrade this idea as “luxury communism” or whatever category our conditioned minds want to lump it into. I feel Esperanza hints at something much bigger and more evolved — something part of a well-being and care economy. When the collective foundational platform is strong anything is possible. We get glimpses of this when we bring our most evolved selves to the table, leaving our old wounded egos and conditioned selves behind making space for the new and finding the courage to trust and venture and riff into the unknown.
One brilliant community member told me she much prefers to draft federal and state policy because community and grassroots organizing is much too messy and time intensive. My sister and I joke that local grassroots community organizing is like playing Twister on a minefield, while wearing stilettos. You might have the best intentions in the world, but sooner or later you're going to step on someone's toes, trigger an ego and that's when things get messy.
I listened to a great interview about how to talk to people and converse in this highly charged environment. The brilliant evolved gentleman said if we approach these conversations and interactions like a dance class — where we know those that are showing-up and really wanting to change the system and become part of this new way of living more generously together are each coming to learn a new step. And we accept that no one is coming to to class with the intention of stepping on toes and tripping or hurting each other, then we can begin to trust and learn to dance together. Shaming, blaming and silencing will just create more pain. Shutting down those who are trying to help bridge amplifies pain not progress.
Last night a brilliant local poet Toussant St. Negritude brought together our community of all ethnicities to read their favorite poems by Black writers. He generously shared his own books, background and words and built the healing circle for the poetry out loud to begin to sink into those empty spaces and find those hidden chambers longing for resonance again. In that circle these Black Poets and their art of the spoken word shared in community provided a place for our souls where the infinite resides. Toussant and these past and present poets created a place where space, nor time, nor flesh can touch. He created a warm inviting place and by establishing this poetry circle we felt the warmth from the hearth of community; where we come together to share gifts and don’t feel the need to poke or prod or dramatize or control or try to destroy it – this is the shared place we wish to help to cultivate. It is not a “square” space — it is a place filled with infinite beauty.
The power of Toussant’s vision and his moving work help us navigate this minefield. And his words like the beat of the drums continue their rhythmic healing:“When the moon becomes the sun…I am still listening. I am still listening. I am still listening….” I know now we need to open our minds and hearts and ears and remain in rhythm with our longing or we become ghosts of ourselves. As I swing on this pendulum and evaluate the crossroads, I feel rhythm is the key – it is the secret key to give us a sense of balance and belonging. When we lose our rhythm our lives become exhausting, deliberate and anonymously automatic. When we allow the ebb and flow of life, the natural current to flow through us; new horizons open and the directional pull of our lives becomes clear.
I think most of us reading this blog can agree the old way is not working. Our current conditioned thinking is literally killing us — take the skyrocketing rates of gun violence and suicide for an easy example. We’ve lost our sense of belonging to each other and something greater than ourselves. If we want to build strong and resilient communities, we need to learn how to become allies and work in the messy middle. We need to learn how to work together, even when we disagree. And we need to learn how to let go of our own egos and personal ownership, and focus on what's best for the community as a whole. This is messy work, my friends and it is much bigger than any one person or any one organization etc. What is clear to me is we need each other more than every before and we must learn to set aside the parts that don’t serve us, thank them for their service and make room for our new more evolved expansive selves to begin again.
Let's face it, we humans are broken and wounded and can't get out of our own way. Our egos and personal dramas, ownership are super triggering and are holding us back from what is possible. Every time we divide and shame and blame instead of actively choosing to love, embrace and bridge, we end up perpetuating the cycle of hate and making a mess of things. A great mentor said: “EVERY contribution counts!” When we learn to put the needs of the community first, we might just be able to bridge and make something beautiful.
I close with this: we heal in circles. So let's put down our pitchforks, and pick up our poetry. Let's work together, even when it's hard. And let's build a community that we can all be proud of, one circle at a time. “When the moon becomes the sun…I am still listening….”
Love this! Well said, Celina