A Time for Vigilance and Activism
Many of you may be reeling from the news of the massacres at Brown University, the shocking Chanukah shooting at Bondi Beach, the murder of Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer, the daily reports of domestic violence, the increasing danger to pedestrians, cyclists, and the public using public transit. This is also a time when food prices and cost of living are soaring to levels that are sending more people to food banks and perilously close to homelessness. Increased stress is increasing physical disease and emotional/mental health challenges. Our provincial and federal governments are responding by placing the public at risk by dramatically lowering the standards of training for psychologists entering the profession and watering down the quality assurance standards for those of us already registered to practice. In BC the government is set to ratify HPOA By-Laws and Standards that the majority of BC psychologists deem will place clients at risk and compromise confidentiality which is the bedrock of trust in psychological services.
What are we all to do? If we sink into depression and lethargy, corporate control of every aspect of our lives will continue. It is urgent to turn up the volume on self-care. We must make our peace with the past, however traumatic it may have been. This does not mean sweeping the past under the rug. It does mean not perpetuating the past by beating up or criticizing ourselves. We must be alert and aware of our surroundings so as to be prepared to act. We cannot afford to be “lost in thought” which interferes with listening to intuition.
Let silencing the mind be the focus of our attention on a regular basis so that we get the guidance we need on what constitutes right action for the right reasons when making important decisions. To advance our understanding of ourselves, we must carefully observe and take responsibility for our thoughts, feelings, actions and words. This is not a task for the lazy. This observation requires passionate curiosity and is to be done without shaming, blaming or judging, which are all products of thought. Accountability is a different matter. It sets us free by giving us clarity about what we must change and what must be changed by another or others. Clarity leads to action. Sometimes that action will be collective and collaborative efforts to bring about social change. Sometimes that action will be to walk away from toxic people, living arrangements, or workplaces. There is no formula for right action. It requires inner listening moment to moment. It requires honesty, integrity, courage, and consistency. This is not a part-time job.
In this season of the light, Be a Light Unto Yourself. Be in your Joy.
