The practice of non-silence
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If you're not sure why you're on my mailing list, it's likely because you signed up for my course From Heartache to Connection or Emotions Live in the Body in TheraBundle or Lizzy's Christmas Party. If you don't want to receive any more emails from me, just click here to unsubscribe! Hi Reader, A few weeks ago I shared how to experience more moments of presence (you can read that here). I've been thinking a lot about how I can be more present to people around the world who are going through horrors that require us, in our humanity, to show up and do something. We've been witnessing college students rise up and risk everything for Palestine, and I've been following the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, a ship populated by folks from all over the world who are risking their lives to attempt to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. When I look at acts like this, I come face to face with the fact that I am not exercising courage in proportion to my empathy and values. Paradoxically, I am more present to myself when I acknowledge this. And, I can remain more present to other people's suffering when I'm not numbing to try to forget the ways I'm falling short. Recognizing--without cruel self-judgment-- where fear and self-preservation bind me actually opens me up to ask: If I don't feel the capacity to respond the way I want to, how do I have the capacity to respond? A friend used a term the other day that totally captured my heart: 'Non-silence.' This is what I'm committed to practice. When I hear someone say something that indicates that their heart is not connected to the humanity of Palestinians, Sudanese, or Congolese with the respective genocides they are living and dying in, I can respond. I can speak from my heart. I can practice non-silence. And, as someone who is better at processing experiences after after the fact, if I am thrown off by an inhumane comment and draw a blank in the moment, I can post-process how I will respond in the future, or choose to come back to that person and renew the conversation. I would love to hear what your capacity has been lately, and what comes up for you around the idea of practicing non-silence. In connection, Joy Welcome to my Free Stuff |
Joy Malek
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