Long-time guest teacher and friend of triyoga, David Swenson, shares a personal message in light of this week’s protests:
I was raised in Houston, TX by two of the most compassionate, understanding and loving people. My father was a criminal defense attorney. A portion of his clients were good people being persecuted and prosecuted for crimes that had really nothing to do with their actions and everything to do with the colour of their skin.
We were raised to judge people NOT by the colour of their skin, social status, physical appearance or any other shallow gauge used to measure a persons’ worth. Rather we were taught that one is judged by the quality of their character, clarity of their intentions and the integrity of their actions.
Though I am a white male I saw first-hand the dramatic consequences of hatred directed at people of colour.
There has been progress in society within the last few decades. For instance, I am married to an African American woman which would have been illegal not so many years ago. There were separate public drinking fountains and toilets for Men, Women and Coloured when I was growing up. So yes, some things have changed.
However, the virus of hatred towards others for the colour of their skin has never truly healed. It is here and once again has risen to the surface and the pent up anger, frustration and rage has to be expressed because as Newton said, “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.”
I am a white man yet I am also a hu-man. We are all connected on this earth. I cry for the injustices, the violence, the inhumanity that humans thrust upon each other. The righteous way forward is a difficult path. I do not have any magic answer to end the suffering, pain, agony and frustration but I do have hope, faith and an inherent belief that we can come together, respect one another for our differences and find peace in knowing that we are one. We tend to focus on all that is different in another person like their culture, religion, faith, colour, social status, sexual preference, weight and on and on and on. We have MUCH more in common than not. Maybe we can start with the most basic of things that connects us and build upon that. Maybe if we can find one thread of TRUE connection that transcends our differences, we could take that thin essence of commonality and from it take the first step toward understanding, compassion and respect.
I have an idea of what that common undeniable thread could be.
It is simple.
It is free.
It is universal.
It is breath.
We enter this world riding upon an inhale and depart upon an exhale. Every inhale is a birth of new possibility and new potential. Every exhale is a letting go of the past and making room for the future. If we can acknowledge that we are all connected through the simple act of breathing then that could be a starting point to greater things. Let’s take a moment to take a breath together. In that simple act we may begin to heal. Just like life it all starts with the first breath.
One World, One Breath.
