let it sink in…

January 28, 2017January 28, 2017 ~ jaysen ~ Leave a comment

contemplating the heavy irony of a day where people marched “for life” and a supportive President then turned his back and slammed the door on millions of lives. a day where we remember the Holocaust, where Jews were turned away from the safe shores of foreign land, returned to pain, suffering and for many – so many, death. and now we do the same.

our Muslim sisters and brothers have been the greatest sufferers at the hands of extremists, of radicals, and fundamentalists. my heart breaks for the dear Syrian brothers and sisters, who have been victimized by their leader, victimized by Daesh, victimized by Russian bombings, ignored by the West, and now turned from our shores victimized once again.

nearly 500,000 Syrians have died in the Syrian war. let that sink in.

to turn our backs on some people is to turn our backs on all people. it is a delusion to think that we are separate and that we can move forward in such ignorance and darkness. there is no Christ in this, not one that I recognize.

please join me in supporting International Rescue Committee and other refugee support groups. let’s put our voices, feet, and money (small or big) to work where our leadership has failed.

my hope is in life itself, the ground of being, the love that underlies even the most fearful, angry, dark, and chaotic of places.

may all beings be free from suffering.

#Resist #StayWoke #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #LoveWins #Bodhisattva #OffTheCushionIntoTheWorld #FierceCompassion

this is a spiritual crisis…

January 25, 2017 ~ jaysen ~ Leave a comment

Women’s March 01.21.17…

January 22, 2017January 22, 2017 ~ jaysen ~ 1 Comment

today i walked in solidarity with women, men, children, all ages and ethnicities, LGBTQ, along with people of diverse religious or non-religious belief.
we marched for the values we hold dear and the rights we think all people deserve. most people had a message of love, of kindness, of openness, but also a steely resolution that said, “we won’t go back, we won’t normalize the indecency and hate we’ve seen.”

it was a diverse and energized populace fully engaging in our civic duty and our right to peacefully assemble.

we marched for those there and those who could not make it. we marched in solidarity with others who were marching in 200 US cities, and 50 countries. and we marched for those who disagree and those who don’t think we should be marching, because women’s rights are human rights, and human rights are for all.

most cities had double or more of the attendance they had expected. some cities had astounding attendance (DC: near 500,000, LA: near 750,000, NY near 500,000, and other cities in the hundreds of thousand and tens of thousands).

as of now San Diego is estimated to have had 40,000. i think it may be more once they finish tallying.

it was a completely peaceful rally, yet so energized. it couldn’t have felt any safer, either, and that is due to the amazing San Diego Police Department. we thanked individual officers as we saw them, but i wanted to give a shout out here, because from what i understand they worked with the organizers in a great way, all of it beneficial and smooth. i appreciate them immensely.

the road ahead may be long and not easy, but it is one we must forge with inclusivity, open hearts, fierce compassion, wisdom, kindness, and love without letting up.
may this day be remembered.
~j

01.21.17