Freedom & Responsibility
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
It's ironic to celebrate independence day during a time when it seems we have much more independence and freedom to advocate for.
News continues to overwhelm. Families are being ripped apart because of borders and wars, angry men open gunfire at places of business or education. The constant state of chaos, threats to livelihood, and images or words of separation and fear inside the comfort of the “free world” would send anyone into a mental meltdown.
So naturally, our instincts at this time may be to turn away, to tune it out, numb out… To not look at the mess we are living in. But our responsibility as humans on this planet today is to learn from this. To move through this. To change this. In short, our responsibility is to continue growing into our own definitions of freedom.
Let’s unpack the word: RESPONSE—ABILITY. Our ability to respond to the environment around us is key. What doesn’t feel good on the inside of you is an important message. It’s a message to listen to the parts of you that are uncomfortable-- what is out of alignment? what values have been crossed? What new complex feeling is this?
FIRST—> FEEL. Instead of reacting, why not slow down? get still? feel the emotion? the complexity behind confusion, disgust, rage, anger, and sadness deeply and truly? Like a group of friends that came together to tell you something.
SECOND—> REST. Then self-care. Im surprised how many people don’t know how to rest, or restore their own energies and states of mind. This is your upmost response-ability. all of these terms: self-regulate, self-manage, self-care, starts with the self. Your unique style of resting, restoring, nourishing and caring for your own body, mind, soul. And when times get tough, this practice must also increase in quantity and quality so you can match the times.
THIRD-> LEARN. LEARN about it. Where do you stand on the issue? What do you want instead if not this? What would you like to learn more about? What are some constructive ways you can bring healing or balance to a situation, starting with your own thoughts and deeds?
This past month, I went to a summer solstice ceremony known as a Sundance. There, I danced for five days from sun up to sun down to honor and remember the power of light (waking up at 4am to move the body until around 9pm when the final dance completed each day). The ceremony was dedicated to the spirit of ancestors- the codes of DNA passed down through generations.
In the ceremony, I remembered how much strength, skills, survival instincts, resilience, the ones who came before me (in my own family lineage) had. I remembered the skills they grew, the lives they lived, which from this point of view sounds WAY more chaotic than mine. Our ancestors developed and used skills to survive all those years ago… and they passed all those skills on to us—their current living relative.
The life you live today was only a dream to your ancestors. And the life you live now helps us collectively dream a better world in the future for our descendents.
The message is: We are our ancestors wildest dream. And our grandchildren will be ours.
So don’t turn away. Self-care, YES. Self-Love, YES. Love yourself. Love your neighbor. And keep yourself strong.
This world needs you. It needs you marching, speaking up, organizing, changing things for the better every. single. day. You need courage and stamina to keep doing it. And you have that, its what all your ancestors left in your DNA.
When things get uncomfortable — welcome the message. You are being asked to consciously craft the world for the better, and leave it a little bit better than the state you found it in.
Be grateful for the independence and freedoms you have access to. Celebrate that. Honor that. Give thanks to those that advocated for the freedoms you have access to now. And, keep strategizing and organizing for more of it. Because there is infinite more freedoms that await.