Happy Juneteenth! Observation of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day continues since 1865 to spread across the United States and beyond. Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. A growing awareness of this celebration in cities across the country invites us to reflect how oppressive racism and pervasive violence imprisons.
Amid catastrophic global challenges, such as racism, sexism, violations of human rights, poverty and radical shifts in climate, an incredible energy of nonviolence is being embodied, communicated, activated in generative and compelling ways. Recently my morning meditation has been imbued with reflections from A Nonviolent Life by John Dear. The compelling read invites a very practical approach and vision of nonviolence. Dear suggests that living nonviolence integrates three dimensions:
practicing nonviolence toward ourselves;
practicing nonviolence toward all others, all creatures and creation;
practicing active nonviolence by joining global grassroots movements.
To be a person of nonviolence, he advocates that we each need to adopt living a life of nonviolence as a “spiritual practice” that animates a life-long process, an ongoing journey to BE peace.
Practicing nonviolence toward self invites us to recognize that peace truly begins with self-image.
How are you violent toward yourself? How do you put yourself down, hurt yourself, cultivate inner violence and perpetuate violence, resentment and hatred?
How can you become more nonviolent toward yourself? What makes you feel violent toward yourself, and how can you move from inner violence toward inner nonviolence?
Who and how and what is inviting you to become more nonviolent, more peaceful, more loving with yourself?
May we each disarm our hearts, set ourselves and others free, and actively welcome a new world of peace.
—Ann Jackson, PBVM, Prairiewoods spiritual services coordinator