Spiritual loneliness of colonialism

Many scientists have declared that America has a loneliness epidemic. This isn't baseless but maybe it is dangerous to accept this as the only truth. Whiteness has made us forget that we are not alone. We can belong to human and more-than-human world around us and we are already made of others. Buddhism says, "I am you, you are me". 

The effect of colonialism and capitalism is to neglect or suppress our sacred connections and make us feel like isolated consumers. White modernity has no elders or loving ancestors or friends that grieve/rage with us; it has only experts and technicians who must sell their expertise to other consumers in the market.  

I have wanted humans to take bold actions for democracy, climate action or justice around the world, including in Palestine. I see that human inaction and silence are very problematic. But since some of experiences in the last few years, I feel there is a deeper problem. This kind of Newtonian human-effort based activism is arrogant and doesn't consider how the world is alive and has quantum plans of its own. World isn't dead. What we call "World" has agency, intelligence and sentience. Humans need humility. We are not alone but we must align ourselves with Divine and must pay attention to our Karma. 

We can't solve climate crisis by putting solar panels on bomb-dropping planes! We need to slow down, and humbly listen to the alive and intelligent world if we want to go beyond rearranging chairs on the deck of a sinking Titanic. We MUST create human strategies for liberation. AND let us please also bring in elders, ancestors, prayers, meditation, surrender & trust while undoing the narrative of loneliness or arrogance. 

I will always be critical of spiritual, social and political organizations who are not educated about systems of oppression and don't focus on collective liberation. I judge myself and others when we do not have good strategies and tactics. I, like others I know, have struggled with guilt when I haven't been able to join more political actions or organize more actions. I want humans to pay attention to the cries of other humans, future generations, other species and ecosystems that are suffering because of current systems. AND my dream world, my psychic world and my lived experience has been pointing towards another narrative and another layer of truth. The truth of not being alone as humans. That is what I am pointing out here. I am not done exploring this. This is a journey that I hope we will get to touch upon in my dialogue with Lama Rod this coming Monday (and also with other leaders in the coming months as I continue interviewing people who have ways of knowing, learning and belonging that are beyond what white modernity has taught us).  

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