it is a heavy moment. there have been so many.

is it really self-defense to show up armed with provocative, aggressive behavior?

Kyle Rittenhouse was driven across state lines, armed and willing to inflict harm and destruction. he did just that. he shot and killed two people, injuring another, and then walked away right past law enforcement with no consequence to his actions, and he walks away again today acquitted of all charges, with no consequence for the harm, death, and loss caused. so he walks away relieved and perhaps emboldened while the terrorized and the two lives lost along with their families receive no relief. he is being celebrated by those on the Far Right and some sitting GOP members of Congress – even being offered internships, as if he is some sort of hero. he is not a hero.

are we okay with a reality in this country where being an armed vigilante and killing people goes without consequence and is even celebrated?

what happened today isn’t okay, it isn’t justice.
this country has long celebrated, since its founding, violence perpetrated by White men in power and our Justice System suffers systemic issues that support this harmful, dangerous status quo. BIPOC communities and those on the margins have known this, many of the rest of us have been slow to wake up to it. but are we awake enough now? are we awake enough to fight back against the push to cover up this history?

those trying to hold onto White privilege and power advocate and use violence, they even celebrate it. they celebrate death. aggression and violence are a deep dive into hell and not on the side of love.

we must choose to be on the side of love – fiercely so and to rise, to rise up, and rise above in heart and in mind. there’s so much work to do. self-care is necessary. find a practice that takes care of and opens your heart. find a practice that takes care of and steadies your mind. i think in the time ahead, resilience is going to be necessary and that comes from a place of love and fierce compassion.

~j

#reckoning #FierceCompassion #OpenHeart #EngagedBuddhism #path #practice #SitDownRiseUp #RiseUp #RiseAbove #Rise #interdependence #JinpaLhaga #JMWart