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As I bear witness to what is happening in the world - to what is needed for peace, liberation and wellbeing for all people - I'm turning to my practice. Not as an escape from the brutal realities of this moment. But as a way to check myself, to take responsibility for my part and to reflect on how the toxic patterns that are playing out all around us - those that descend from the legacy of colonization, zero-sum, power and privilege, and supremacy - are also alive in me.
Fear of conflict is related to how so many of us distance ourselves from community and connection, numb and shield ourselves from the impact of being humans in relationship, and wall ourselves off in gated communities. It is this defended state that enables us to become bystanders in the face of injustice. But bystanders are not neutral. Our unwillingness to disrupt, speak out and confront abuse is what allows patterns of abuse to continue.
To detox is to disrupt all that is in the way of our wholeness and fight for the conditions where everyone can thrive. It affirms that personal healing and politicized healing are not separate, but intertwined practices and strategies intended to disrupt violence, care for communities and create the conditions for deep and historical healing.
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