The Way
"Fear is the greatest obstacle to learning. But fear is your best friend. Fear is like fire. You can make it work for you -- it can warm you in the winter, cook your food when you are hungry, give you light when you are in the dark, and produce energy. If you don't learn to control it, it'll destroy you and everything around you. Let it get out of control, and it can hurt you, even kill you.
"The hero and the coward feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It's the same thing -- fear -- but it's what you do with it that matters. You must understand fear so that you can manipulate it. Fear is the friend of exceptional people."
-- Cus D'Amato
In the past week or so, I have noted that a lot of Good People I know have expressed doubts and fears about the next four years -- and beyond. Some from real life contact, some on the internet. Strong people. Intelligent people. People with legitimate concerns about democracy and others' well being, and people I have concerns with regarding their safety. For hatred is a violent, destructive force.
Intimidation is the tactic of a weak human being. I had a conversation with a good friend. He said, "I'm a white male, and I'm scared by what he's done in a week!" I understand that. Many people are already suffering. More are feeling like there is a dangerous bully in the White House, giving others license to be aggressively hostile. The hostile atmosphere goes from small villages to large cities.
I was tempted to start out by quoting the Buddhist gospel of Matthew, where the author quotes the Master as saying, "Do not be afraid" several times. I opted for the Cus quote, not because of any fear of sounding preachy, but because I recognize we are in a fight. I favor non-violent protest, as groups or individuals. But in our day-to-day life, I don't believe in being a victim. And being overwhelmed with fear can be the genesis of a victim mentality that renders one believing they are helpless.
We are not helpless. I am not, you are not. I would not lie about that. In order to understand what we are up against, let's start by looking at what was the republican party, circa 1966. This is shortly after the then extremist Barry Goldwater was buried by President Johnson in the 1964 presidential election.
"They're somewhat like the lowest form of plant and animal life. Even at their highest point of vitality, there's not much life to them; on the other hand, they don't die."
-- Senator Eugene J. McCarthy, 1966.
Let's think of the John Birch Society/ KKK branch of the republican party back then as an infection in the body politics, the type that would express themselves by bombing a church and killing four little girls. (If you're too young to remember, look it up.) Dr. King prescribed a social penicillin. Society only took enough of the remedy to begin feeling better, but not the full prescription. The virus of hatred not only survived, it has mutated into a stronger version.
The metastasized version of this cancerous growth on the social fabric spread during the Obama years. The felon rode the infection into the White House in 2016 and again in 2024. Thus, the nucleus of this tumor is found in the Oval Office. It is surrounded by a maga administration and members of both houses of Congress. The cell's membrane is permeable, and thus leaks hatred. Its christian nationalist varient believes in asexual reproduction by binary fission in the missionary position only. All pleasure is a sin.
Thus, in a matter of a few short years, this terrible infection has reproduced and spread throughout the country. Some states have a higher concentration than others. But it is found everywhere. Clearly, we need to update Dr. King's prescription. One that allows us to overcome fear and hatred, and to work to cure society from this ugly disease.
"Be a good neighbor. If my garden is ready before yours, we should share mine now, and yours later. Too many people don't understand the power of sharing. You have to remember that all of the earth is the Creator's garden, and he shares it with us. This is why I say sharing is divine intervention.
"And what we sometimes miss is the song of the smallest bird. We do not listen closely enough. But the song of the smallest bird is the prettiest. It lifts the Creator's spirit to hear her song. Now that is the divine intervention that people overlook every day."
-- Chief Paul Waterman, Onondaga Nation
It is hard for me to believe it has been 25 years since I did my last of four interviews with Paul. This was at a time when people were worried about the Y2K millennium bug. We take care of ourselves when we help take care of others. We take care of ourselves when we refresh by taking time to listen to the natural world. There is no "hatred" outside of humanity.
As we do this, we all grow stronger. It is the first step in the struggle we are in. None of us want to be in the current socio-political environment we find ourselves in today. But this first step is what leads us up the path out of this dark valley, and heads us in the direction of the mountain top.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Thank you.