I See A World

What does it mean to be paying attention and seeing the world that is trying to be born?

It means …

• seeing the ways that people treat each other with kindness and want to be kind to each other.
• hearing articulations of injustice and oppression and feeling in my soul the rightness of sharing opportunities and being able to feel safe from harm.
• learning techniques of de-escalation, nonviolent communication and restorative justice and adopting these as ways of moving in the world.
• giving gifts – gifts are always unconditional.
• expressing hope and positivity, hoping that they spread and reverberate.
• maintaining space in my heart and stretching it open with each person in each moment.
• seeing us all moving together toward a more just future; a future where we each have opportunities – opportunities to walk a path seeking meaning, where we have agency to make choices and contribute in the ways we wish toward the well-being of others.

I see a world where actions that benefit others are appreciated, and where none of us needs to depend only on the kindness of strangers to survive. I see a world where developmentally-disabled children and adults are treated with dignity and respect; where their decisions are respected and their bodies are sacred and are theirs. I see a world where young men can wrestle during recess without fear of being called gay or being seriously hurt by each other. I see a world where gay, lesbian, trans, African-American, Muslim, disabled, poor, homeless, heavy, short, senior, minor, immigrant, chronically ill, and mentally ill are just aspects of identities, without associated stigma or decreased opportunity.

I see a world where young women can walk or jog without being followed and with greetings expressed only occasionally; where a woman’s own sober consent is the only path to her body being touched, and where men are allowed to express their feelings freely enough to be able to empathize with binary men, binary women and non-binary members of humanity.

I see a world where we can each have substantial opportunities to participate in this grand experiment known as society; where we enable those who facilitate opportunities for others and reduce the impact of those who harm or deprive others of agency. I see a world where we acknowledge that self-promotion is a lonely path and that our paths function better when we get there together.