Weekly Post: If you have not read Howards Zinn’s: “A People’s History of the United States” add it to your Summer reading list. You can also take a trip to the Zinn Education Project. It is people like him who inspired me to put together the Building Peace, Ecopsychology, and Human Rights classes. If you have taken any two of them you are aware of the overlap that reflects the concept of interdependence. Many, from differing backgrounds and cultures, and who have sought a more just and equitable world have understood this. In particular Martin Luther King Jr’s work and efforts are becoming revitalized through groups like the Poor People’s Campaign, renewed interest in a Universal Basic Income, and the ongoing rallies protesting the murder of George Floyd and the issue of systemic racism. One of the encouraging things that I have experienced at the ongoing protests is the sense of solidarity. It is both heartening and inspiring to see. Here are some perspectives to consider:
“ I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”
-Martin Luther King Jr
“The idea that we are separate, isolated beings with no deeper connection to one another is the single greatest threat to our happiness and security. Ultimately, none of us will experience the future we all long for if we’re not willing to at least try to love others as we love ourselves.”
-this may be from Marianne Williamson