WE ARE MANY AND WE ARE ONE

'Milwaukee Gaia Buddha' - 2016 Photo Credit: Milwaukee Independant

We need more ways for people to freely share their unique perspectives with the larger whole in a way where they can be appreciated for the value they bring. From my experience working with people from different backgrounds, working together in a creative way to make something better for the common good can create a sense of unity. This is often surprising to me given we have so many different opinions on how to do things. But, it shows we can work together when there is a sense of mutual respect for each person to freely share their perspective. 

'Beauty Opens the Door to Join Us' - 2016

One thing that helps this connection grow is creating creative resources, spaces of beauty and joy that inspire us to be more open-minded and caring. The attractive energy of our caring attitudes can have unseen impacts on our surroundings like seeds planted that grow and show up in our lives in little ways. We replant the same energy when we intend to. Opening our hearts and using our imagination allows our infinite raw potential to flow unconditionally. This strengthens our ability to see better possibilities. 

VIOLENCE IS A CRY FOR HELP

While I was painting the mural shown above - (more on 'Milwaukee Gaia Buddha' here), it was just weeks after a fatal police shooting sparked unrest in Milwaukee's Sherman Park neighborhood. The unrest turned violent and made national headlines. Reflecting on my experience of that moment, I struggled with how to, or whether or not, to include any reference to that incident. I recognize racial tension in Milwaukee. I'm aware that painting alone does not solve that problem.

I knew it was not a new thing. But it does speak of the times we are in, a time in which I feel called to action; a time in which others feel at best called out of love and at worst spurned out of fear - to action. I choose to spread seeds. 

Closeup, 'Milwaukee Gaia Buddha' Photo Credit: Milwaukee Independent

Violence is a desperate call that something has gone wrong that needs to be corrected. It's a signal that there is suffering that needs to be recognized and then a willingness to help make it better. Finding ways to make something better creates an outlet for the natural life moving through us to express itself in a constructive way. Violence is destructive because it weakens the very roots of what making anything better requires - a willingness to work together.

The force which cooperates with our desire for violence is a destructive one. Since I do not believe God contradicts himself, to align with God means to take an attitude of non-violence. Anger needs to be channeled into a constructive expression. That is the work of the divine. It works against our greater good to let it destroy. Anger is natural. The act of willing it into a constructive channel is supernatural. When there is a loss of hope, using arts and culture as therapeutic spaces for expressing feelings are helpful outlets that be uplifting and can play an increasing role.

I like Ghandi's quote: Be the Change you Want to See. To me life is about that. It has ups and downs, challenges, and unfairness. Pessimism about that reality feels condemning, and that is not the kind of life I want. Revenge is temporary, because our hearts know that we have betrayed our greater purpose. The act of heartfelt caring is an unyielding force. It holds the long view in focus, with a wide angle lens.

This is what I feel the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. embodied in his efforts for a non-violent movement. His legacy stands as one of unconditional love toward a force great enough to keep whole generations of a people down. A force still at work in many arenas of society; at work around the globe. We have to ask ourselves: Where are we being presented with opportunities to invoke this same legacy in our lives? We will always be presented with unfair situations in life, it comes with the territory of being human. So are we condemned to act out of our most basest of human instincts?

CARING ALL AROUND US

We think we've figured it out – or at least grown up enough as a society for the work of relating to each other in a better way, as brothers and sisters to be behind us. If we look around, we can find examples where it's getting better, but there is much work to be done. How can we do this work in the world?

'The Restoration of Compassionate Law' - 2020

Even if we can change policies, we can't legislate an attitude. I mean this in the sense of the attitudes and biases that we hold near and dear. The work of accepting one another as we are; of appreciating what we each have to offer to society as a whole, and of respecting the life moving through us equally - those are attitudes that help us work together better. That work is still up to each of us as individuals. Its figuring out how to better care for ourselves and one another. Only in our hearts is the path made clear.

God is not divided in his purpose. Every act of harm is a knife in the fabric of our greater good. To quote a reference to Obama's call during his last speech to the United Nations - I believe we are being called to be co-workers of God.