Our Future:
Chapter 13:
Who Else Can Do It Better?
If Not You, Who? If Not Now, When?
Welcome
to
Our Journey Toward Justice Tour
What Will We Do While We Wait,
Especially,
If We Want to Advance Holistically
'n
Well Beyond the Election?
Simple: MEND
To Mend: (verb–action not just a sentiment) mended, mending, mends (Merriam Webster)
1. :to free from faults or defects: such as:
a. To improve in manners or morals: REFORM;
b. :to set right: CORRECT;
c. :to put into good shape or working order again: patch-up: REPAIR;
d. to restore to health: CURE
e. : to improve or strengthen (Something such as a relationship) by negotiation or conciliation
–used chiefly in the phrase, “Mend fences.” [REINFORCE]
2. :to make amends or atonement for ______________________.
MEND What?
Our platonic, loving, familial, neighborly and communal relations.
Our local, state and national schools, businesses, municipalities ‘n police agencies.
Our divisions, differences, disparities ‘n diseases.
Our rifts betwixt political parties ‘n states.
Our racial and religious and cultural discord.
MEND How?
Realize the abundant reasons we have to be thankful.
Do the really hard work of negotiation, conciliation ‘n reconciliation.
Reform, Correct, Repair, Cure ‘n Reinforce our CIVIL RIGHTS ‘n Responsibilities.
Work on the four “Rs.”
No, not reading, writing ‘n arithmetic (though those would be good, too).
But Remedy, Reparation, Restitution and Reintegration.
Nuts & Bolts?
Honor our fundamental civic, cultural, legal and spiritual values.
(Which we have abandoned and violated far too often and far to long and too much, already.)
Advocate to advance our Six Life-Care Services for all to enjoy, equally and equitably.
Create ‘n participate in the big one: Our Collective Civic Serve ‘n Engagement (CCSE)
Add Your Heading Text Here
Why?
Let us do it for the most important reason: For the Sake of Our Young.
Let's Do It Again!
Our 1935 New Deal ‘Work Project Administration’ (WPA) was a major catipult for our country.
At the time of crisis, a whopping ninety years later, let us lift our voices, pride ‘n spirit through
education, training, new jobs ‘n public service in our arts, sciences ‘n six life-care services.
Let’s rebuild ‘n lay new infrastructure for our future.
Our Modest Proposal:
A good start may be creating the long overdue:
Our Journey Toward Justice Tour
Art Installations throughout the United States of the Americas
Commemorating the Courageous People ‘n Vital Events
Who/that Advanced Our Perceptions ‘n Practice of Democracy
What Lies Beyond?
Our work has just begun. We must discuss, debate ‘n draw consensus through the art of negotiation.
To realize our goals of Social Equity, Advocacy is equally crucial.
There are pressing state ‘n federal bills ‘n laws to reinforce, revise or repudiate;
there are unjust ones to strike down, just ones to uphold ‘n new ones to propose;
there are constitutional, economical, educational, medical, protective, sexual,
scientific ‘n environmental issues to address with many
people precariously perched ‘n in need of our help.
If we slide into apathy, we will never provide just care for all by just caring for all.
Sentiment alone is insufficient.
Action informed by thoughtful feelings is the true course of mending.
As You Read On, Please Refect Upon:
Y~our Value(s) 'n Goals
What Will We Do in Our Darkest Moments?
Advocate--Care--Teach (ACT)
Through
Ambition--Retrospection-_Transformation (ART)
The following pages explore four ways for us to Proclaim our Value(s) (POV)
The bedrock of social justice within our six life-care services.
We must share the ways we heal our worry and wounds.
We present four POVs for your consideration.
Of course, there is a catch, for all of us.
And we have one request, too.
The One Catch for All:
You must begin or end your work with an expression of love.
It can be original or a citation of another text, song, psalm or poem.
The One Request for All:
Share your Subjective Catharsis (as a special someone once taught us).
Your unique bedrock of beliefs yields your capacity to transcend.
It is the source of your resilience and strength to persevere.
Intrigued but do not know where to start? Here is a hint:
When were you first told, or told someone,
“That’s just what we do.”
Not enough?
Well, here are a few questions to consider, if you so choose ...
Introspective ones about your system of Tranz/cendence/formation:
Who shared/showed you how to feel better after you lost
someone or something injurious happened to you?
Was it your brother/sister, bhikku/bbikkumi, coach, chief, counselor, daoshi, diviner,
elder, guardian, Iman, loved one, minister, mom/dad, monk, nun, priest/priestess,
pujari/archaka, rabbi, sensie, shaman, teacher?
What heals you and helps you recover from loss or injuries,
especially those inflicted upon you by another human?
What action, art making, awe-struck experience or epiphany, doctrine, ceremony, fable, hope,
image, myth, phenomena, practice, prayer, rationale/cogniotion, ritual, song or psalm, spiritual
belief, stories, sublime (or terrifying) climatic, environemental, landscape or wildlife encounter,
symbol, totem (or animal) spirit, text or thought?
Which item or sensory pattern brings you
spiritual confort, joy, protection and recovery?
An amulet, artifact, artwork, baptism, bath, beads, bread, chalice, celebration, chant, cloth,
colors, costume/wardrobe, dance, drink, icon, key, liturgy, mandala, meal, medicine bag/its contents,
movement, pattern, prayer, rainbow, relic, robe, sculpture, smoke, song, stone, veil, water or wine?
How do you recover from animus diversitas perpetuated against you, or,
permeateing your community, nation, school, society,
workplace or worship place?
Or,
How did you shed a bias in favor of accommodation, inclusion, respect for
an animal or another human you initially disrespected, via ...
Discrimination, faith shame, cognitive ability disdain, ability-based animus, racist malignancy
sexism or gender or sex-based hostility or violence?
What belief/energy/philosophy/ritual such as love, mana, mantra, or holy spirit
helps you to Overcome cruelty, injury or meaness?
Or,
What helps you enjoy compassion, courage, creativity, faith, fun,
gratitude, hope, humility, joy, or strength?
Exercise the ability to appreciate wonderful people, assess the not so wonderful people who
exercise or present potential for harm as per their words and actions, assist those in need and be
charitable, avoid judgment/contempt, believe in the eternal, challenge what is fundamentally wrong
(generates injury or suppression of others or the truth), create, devote time to your beliefs and soul,
embrace grace and new ways, gracefully, enjoy differences and reality’s abundant diversity in
animals, peoples, lands, places and cultures, feel joy, forgive transgressions, give thanks for
blessings, inspire others to heal and to act peacefully, listen to someone in need, listen to
someone who has words of guidance for you, make art, make peace, make medicine, mediate,
meditate, praise the good, pray, protect others, pursue the profound, rejoice in the splendor,
relish the nourishing, speak the truth under pressure, surrender the pain and loss from injustice,
strive to be enlightened and just and to transform?