My teacher and Systems Thinking guru Peter Senge often says— “you cannot transform a societal challenge unless you see your handprint in creating the same”. Two years back, we witnessed the collective trauma of 23 million migrant labourers stranded on Indian highways amid the first severe lockdown. While we try to brush aside that painful memory or rationalise it as a political/ governance error, a part of us knows that the migrant crisis was only a symptom of the deeper class and caste divide that has plagued the very foundation of our civilisation. Perhaps the Pandemic (or any societal crisis) is an invitation for us to step out of the cocoon (silos) of denial and self-centeredness and embrace the collective suffering we are part of. This act of courage is the only hope we have for societal healing and resilience. This poem is a call for all of us to examine— what are the stains we have on our white collars? Stains on Our White The wounds of humanity Are hard to heal Millions were left broken on the road Despite serving all our needs Their pain, their shame, their betrayal Will not dissipate soon Their intense collective trauma Will haunt our factories, streets and bedrooms Germany still shudders in the memory of the Holocaust Jallianwala Bagh bleeds each night Ask the retired war veteran Who curls up in pain at the sound of raindrops Our proud white collars are stained With the bleeding footprints of 23 million souls Who walked across the country on bare feet While we sat by the windows of our urban castles — Midnight Journey of a Seed: Pathways to Resilience In the Face of a Pandemic by Manish Srivastava. Read more here— https://sacredwell.in/books/midnightjourney/ #collectivetrauma #systemstransformation #migrantcrisis #resilience #courage #compassion #healing #dailyquotes #writingcommunity #lovepoetry #poetconnection #poemsnproses #dailyquotes #mentalhealthawareness #resilience #dailypractices #dailyinspiration #poetry #art #goodreads #readstagram #readersofinstagram #poetry #poetsofinstagram #poetrycommunity #poetscity #poetryisnotdead #writer #turbulence #writersofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CgCOBZOrtFz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
