Sometimes when people spew hate, other people use that spit to water their gardens. This is a pivotal moment in history. A moment when we get the opportunity to really decide what type of world we are going to choose to live in, and make that choice mindfully. What is amazing is that all over the world people seem to be waking up to making positive choices about the future. In small but real ways ordinary citizens are choosing to opt out of the fear, hate, and constant media hype and realizing how they can be instruments of peace.
Last week I came across this self portrait done by R. Josiah Golson.
It was so powerful to me that I wanted to respond to it in some positive, active way. So I went out and bought two rose bushes and planted them in a small park on Glass Street in Chattanooga. This park has become a living metaphor for what is happening on several levels in society. It is a great little park with some beautiful art work and a cute little free library, a great place to hold a 4th of July Bar-B-Que, but the issue with the park is that no one has been really willing to step up and say, “I’m willing to put in the consistent work it will take to keep this park cleaned up.” So what has happened repeatedly is that volunteers will swoop down and get rid of the weeds and clean the park up, but then they go away and the weeds grow up even taller and it becomes nothing more than another abandoned looking lot again. Various neighbors have given their time here and there, but no one has been able to give it the ongoing love and work it will take to keep it a safe, nice looking place. No one has committed to a long term relationship with this little corner park.
On Monday night I was able to attend an 800 session led by R.Josiah Golson. 800 is a visual artists collective with the focus on art for the community’s sake. Meeting at Causeway with other people that live in Chattanooga and want to not only make a difference, but also slow down and try to really figure out root causes that are creating the current problems of out of control violence. They came together to brainstorm about any solutions to get to a better place, and what that would look like, because how will we know we have reached our destination if we don’t know where we are going? Creating a mural together we discussed current issues such as racism, inheriting a history instead of deliberately creating our own story, status quo, differing cultures, fear, embarrassment about not knowing how to make friends with neighbors that are from a different culture, different expectations and manners, about poverty, and unique foods.Josiah made the comment that in the fifteen minutes that we worked to create our part of the mural we went deeper in our conversation than most people did in their entire lives. Our dialogue was real and healing. We discussed the importance of relationships to work together to break down lines that separate and vilify “the other”. It was an incredible experience.
Healing the wounds that are causing a bleeding and traumatized society won’t be easy, but it is the best option for a safer, saner world. Those wounds are healed by empathy, by listening, by observing without judgement, by taking the time to breathe deeply and think before speaking, they are healed by one neighbor reaching out to another and committing to having a long term relationship of shared respect and responsibility, they are healed by refusing to give into fear.
They are also healed by choosing to plant roses, which by the way, my two small rose bushes created a chain of beautiful events, including getting more people willing to help on a regular basis to promote and maintain the park, and even a dinner invitation to the house of two new friends. Do what you can, where you can, with what you have, trusting that your small choices can and will add up to a big impact. No longer will the spewing out of hate be acceptable, the river is turning and mutual respect and honor will be its new destinations.
GG, taking time to smell the roses.
Raising Roses Amidst The Rage Sometimes when people spew hate, other people use that spit to water their gardens. This is a pivotal moment in history.