The Sudden Rain
What Refuge Shall We Create?
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
What shall we make of events such as these?
I don’t know how to talk to those who have made this choice. What is it like to be in your thoughts and to feel as you feel? What are you afraid of? I know too well what terrifies me now. Sadly, I must say that it is you. I want to listen for what it is like there, in your heart. But dread has for the moment overtaken the uncertainty that grants permission. Some things are impossible to imagine until their time has arrived.
Americans have chosen this willfully, deliberately. But I feel certain I’m not alone. We are appalled, dismayed, genuinely horror-struck and must gather our wits even as we grieve and regroup. What are the choices before us? How shall we comport ourselves? The ceremony of innocence is drowned, as the poet wrote.
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst, Are full of passionate intensity.”
It is never too soon to create havens of refuge inside and out. We are going to need each other in ways we have not yet imagined.
Sharanam in Sanskrit means ‘refuge’ and ‘shelter.’ It is what we must do and what we must offer. Everyone should feel vulnerable because no one on this faire planet will be spared the consequences of such debasement. We will need every bit of heart and determination, and some near defenseless, exposed in ways we haven’t yet prepared to address.
Let us not be guileless. We have listened. We have heard him tell us his plans. We’re going to need courage to stand together, to hold fast to decency, and to demand unalienable rights for all. We will take refuge with each other and build strength upon strength. We will offer shelters outside and in to provide and comfort and seize opportunity.
Let us defend what is sacred to all and offer a shared humanity no matter what is proffered by those who would cause harm or make themselves complicit. There isn’t a moment to lose if there is to be a world worth the beauty this one offers every day we live.
I can feel your heart breaking, Douglas, you of enormous heart. Thank you for the refuge that you provide for us, Rajanaka folks! I am 70 and have been an educator for 48 years. Throughout that time as teacher of literature and a school head, my number one focus has been on character for my students and faculty. One of the best things about this focus is that it has also helped me develop my own character because to teach it, you must walk the walk, and this takes effort. This is something that Douglas Brooks does so amazingly. We all know of Douglas' golden character through his teaching.
The election has shown us that for over 70,000,000 Americans character does not matter when it comes to this choice. I agree with Cynthia's excellent perspective. Life for so many of our fellow citizens has become very tough. Can you imagine being a normal America with a couple of young kids wanting them to go to college and wanting to own a house of your own someday? (the average price of a house in America is now over $400,000). How about how the price of food has gone up in the last few years? Although I wish that it was not so, it seems that when things are so tough and a candidate preys on your fears and anger, you might not have space for character in your vote.
The facts are that we live in a democracy and all that we are guaranteed is the right to cast a single vote. It seems that to function well, we have to begin with the facts, as Douglas outlined so wonderfully in chapter 2 of the Bhagavadgita years ago. Accepting the facts is step one. Step two is asking "who do you wish to be in the face of the facts?" My response to an earlier article of Douglas' was that regardless of the outcome of the election, my answer to this question will be the same. Character is central to me, so I will continue to strive to be the best person I can each day, with the rises and the falls. I am so grateful to Douglas Brooks for providing not only a refuge but also a forum where I can learn how I can best rise to the occasion. This seems to be the call now: how do we rise to the occasion in the face of the facts?
My son who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, he is 24. He literally cannot move. He depends on others to dress him to put him to bed, to shower him.
He said to me, “Mom it’s going to be ok, certain people would rather choose a bad person than change.” Change is more scary to them”.