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 pome.
(Be sure to cite its source.)
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 comfort, 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,
permeating 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, lands, peoples, 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, meditate,
mediate, praise the goo, 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?