Author: Dena Eakles

Enjoying Life. Plan on keeping it that way.

The Power of Inclusion

It seems these days you have to grab hold of hope wherever you find it. While cleaning my house I accidentally tuned into the inaugural ceremony of Tony Evers to become the 46thgovernor of Wisconsin. Ever the political cynic, I half-heartedly gave my ear to the broadcast. As the opening songs commenced my first reaction was “nice touch” as I listened to the young and diverse people performing. And I began to feel the inclusion and welcoming of this new day.

The next moment that caught my attention was the introduction of the MC and his telling of being a Big Brother. He made me smile as he told us how much he gained in giving his time to another, and I moved closer to the radio and gave myself permission to listen with a bit more intent.

It was time for the national anthem and the pledge of allegiance. And when the MC informed us that the pledge would be led by the youth of GSafe, I knew I would be listening to the inauguration in its entirety.

GSafe for those of you, who may not know, is an organization in support of gay youth. Having grown up without that kind of support or that kind of inclusion, I was really touched and began to cry. I realized again the power of inclusion and the wisdom of it.

And then the words of Bella Wabindato of the Bad River Tribe really hit home. She spoke of the importance of water and the love she has of her people. And she told us, “ racial equity would mean that other people see my people as I do, as people.”

The greatest leaders are those who allow others to lead. We are so ready for this.

Best wishes Governor, continue to surround yourself with loving and kind people.

We will all benefit.

 

 

 

You can listen to this piece on Soundcloud.

Bear Witness to Good

Children remain in detention camps still separated from their families.

A seven-year old Black child is shot and killed by a white male terrorist in a red truck. Say her name: Jazmine Barnes.

A president, with a grudge, halts funds and plays politics with peoples lives…and on and on it goes.

I know many of us can no longer bear witness to the travesties. We have had enough of hatred and violence. Some of us now doubt that better times are possible. Some of us even question if better times are deserved.

But of this I am 100% certain: Today is a new day. And we owe it to ourselves, to one another and to those not yet born to stand up. There are people throughout the world – and yes, right next door – who are doing the impossible every day. They are waking up and carrying on with love and hope. They are finding the determination and the fortitude to make a better way. Some have moved towards politics, some are working to bridge religious or racial divides, some prepare the soil to bring good food to our tables, some are sitting in treetops stopping pipelines and environmental destruction, some are offering shelter to asylum seekers.

We are the heroes we have been waiting for, if we have the eyes to see.

Look to this new day. Grab the inspiration that comes – however it comes – and hold on.

Inhumanity can bring us to our knees. But it is in rising that we see we are not broken. There is power in that. Human beings have shown us the worst that we can be, let this new day and each new day bring the best that we can be. Bear witness to that. Bear witness to the good in your heart and let it shine.

 

Choice Not Chance

As the stock market drifts downward and holiday cheer dances on, we are forced to reckon with the death of another child in the custody of United States Border Protection. He was an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy, Felipe Gómez Alonzo and he is the second child to die within a month. It seems our history is filled with the abuse of children. This is glaringly obvious to most people of color. And it is a fact that continues to haunt us as we pretend not to see.

And while the president tweets endlessly about his wall, the reality remains that there are human beings lawfully seeking asylum at our border. These are people being threatened by horrific conditions and death in their countries of origin. And they have the legal right  – by both international and national law  – to seek asylum.

United States Immigration and Customs released hundreds of migrants at an El Paso, Texas, bus station a few days before and during Christmas. Many had no food or money. Most do not speak English. They were given an ankle bracelet and court date before being released.

Local nonprofits and churches act as liaisons for these people, but due to the government shut down communication was halted and many were released without aid.

We are dealing with leadership who no longer hold moral authority. If not for the caring of individuals, churches and non-government agencies, the fate of these people would be far worse. But hearing of their plight, many continue to arrive to help those in need. With hearts of love, their efforts are proof that the human spirit is alive and flourishing. They remind us that when one is lifted, we all rise.

It is said, “Choice not chance makes destiny.” Let us then, in this moment of chaos and heightened fear, choose love.

 

You can send donations to help the migrants in el Paso to Annunciation House.

The Return of Light

Solstice is upon us. The return of light is known and celebrated throughout the world and over the ages. For most of the human clan, who live on the land and know the hardships of winter, this time of year holds tremendous hope. And while often the harshest of winter lies ahead and stored foods and supplies run low, the return of the sun is celebrated with abundance and friendship and wonder.

This remembrance is validation of the human spirit and our relationship to the earth. We drum and dance. We sing and pray. We plan the coming spring and of the wonderful bounty the earth will provide. And to those who say, “How foolish to celebrate the end of darkness because darkness has no end,” I say this, “Darkness will forever give way to light. It cannot exist in the presence of the sun”.

In these times when darkness has penetrated the soul of mankind; when the prophesies of doom have taken hold of too many, those who can still celebrate, must.

We do not celebrate theories and explanations. It’s not a feeding of the mind. It’s a feeding of the heart. There is no debate. The days will grow longer and the sun will warm the earth and the earth will give of herself so that we can be sustained. It is our effort that is welcomed, not our cynicism.

There is an idea that stops us and it is called scarcity. We fear it. And we claim it as an enemy. It is said, ‘what you sow, so shall you reap’. If anything can help us turn around this ignorant time it is simply this: Put your hands in the soil. Plant seeds. Plant trees. Feed one another. And feed yourself from the cup of love and hope you have within you. Celebrate that light.

 

Thanks to WDRT  for  the opportunity to speak these words on “Consider This”. You can listen to it here on Soundcloud.

It Has Come To This

On December 10th, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights celebrated its 70thanniversary. This visionary document addresses how human beings should treat one another.

And while the United Nations celebrated and a few academics discussed human rights, other exchanges occurred.

As people took nonviolent stands to uphold human rights they were met with paid enforcers keeping peaceful demonstrators in check.

On the San Diego – Tijuana border over 400 interfaith leaders and advocates gathered in support of asylum seekers. Domestic and international law grants people the right to seek asylum. Our government has engaged unlawfully to deter them. And yet it was thirty-two faith leaders who were arrested during the peaceful demonstration.

And when 1,000 of the youth–led Sunrise Movement descended on Washington, DC to promote the Green New Deal, over 140 were arrested as they peacefully addressed climate change and offered real solutions.

It has come to this. When leaders refuse to listen and government abandons its sovereign duty to obey the law and care for its citizens, it is our moral right to nonviolently resist. It is also our sacred duty to support those arrested and to help in anyway we can.

 

photo:  Faith leaders gather in support of the migrant caravan in front of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, at the border fence between the United States and Mexico on Dec. 10, 2018.               Credit: Carlos Garcia Rawlins / Reuters

 

Listen to it on Soundcloud.

May Your Skies Be Clear

As a young pup I spent a lot of time reading philosophy, scriptures and anything else that might give me a clue into the “bigger picture”. On nearly every level I felt as though I did not belong – and there were always people willing to tell me as much. But there was a relentless cry from my heart that kept me going. I remember reading Hermann Hesse and his words, “I belong to those windy voices that love only love”, and it was like medicine to me. There it was, my story yet untold.

Shortly after, I came to another understanding: there was a piece of my education not yet provided. It occurred to me then and still now, a living teacher had always provided the kind of learning I craved. So I made it my business to find someone to teach me.

It was 1975. A college student, I had no money, no Internet, no cell phone. Determination and a keen sense of possibility were my guides.  I chose to speak to a fellow college acquaintance about this need to know. She was a kind of spiritual butterfly and seemed to gather up information that could be useful. She reached into her bag and handed me an address. It was an ashram (shelter) of a youth from India. A check-in with my heart told me to go and I did.

Upon entering the ashram a young man invited me to listen to a recording of the young teacher. In listening, I heard many things that touched me, but what kept me were these words, “The peace you are looking for is within you and I can show you.”

What can I say? I took him up on the offer and I have never regretted it.

Decades have come and gone and I am still the same person in many ways. I do not appreciate nor do I feel a belonging to the systems, religions, organizations and governments we have a knack for creating. I am not a follower and as much as humanly possible I do not have a creed.

Yet I am forever grateful to the one who showed me how to dig the well of peace and love inside of me.

Happy Birthday Prem. May human beings continue to search for peace and may they find comfort and wisdom in your words.

 

At War With Ourselves

It seems these days we are at war with ourselves.

It is hard to live in prosperity and know that there are people who are hungry and homeless and so we have decided those we deem “poor” are lazy and undeserving.

It is incomprehensible that our government has been at war for all but 20 years since its inception and so we believe the lies that lead us there.

It is horrifying that murdered and missing women are ignored and that domestic violence is off the charts and so we prefer not to look.

It is unthinkable that white men with guns and a grudge could be considered terrorists and so we continue to believe the narrative that men of color should be feared.

It is too painful to admit that we have all been complicit in creating the current political divide and so we revel in our anger at the “other”.

It is overwhelming to believe that we are destroying the earth and cutting the legacy of life to our children’s children and so we blame science and its ignorance for frightening us.

We are at war with ourselves and out of that flows the war on crime, the war on poverty, the war on drugs. Out of that we refuse the wisdom of gun control. Out of that we celebrate this season in materialistic splendor while we allow human beings to beg at our border for a chance to live in peace.

It is time we stop believing the rhetoric of a “kinder gentler nation” and embody one. It is time we make peace with ourselves. Who we are and who we have been must be rectified.  There are many people cutting paths out of this nightmare. It is not too late to help. We cannot let it be too late.

Tear Gas and Children

On Sunday November 25th, tear gas was used against people attempting to cross into the United States at a legal point of entry near Tijuana. A few people had rushed the border during an otherwise peaceful gathering. Photos show canisters of tear gas being hurled over the Mexican border at those gathered there, children among them.

Here is what occurs when tear gas touches a human being: the gas inflames the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, mouth and lungs. It takes thirty seconds of contact before the burning and watering of eyes begins. Difficult breathing follows along with chest pains, copious saliva, excessive coughing and irritated skin. Some may have temporary blindness. The effects of tear gas can last thirty minutes to hours depending on length of exposure.

As with all less-lethal weapons, there is risk of permanent injury or death. The canisters that contain the gas are projectiles that can also cause harm.

Many international treaties prohibit the use of tear gas in warfare. It is legal however for police use and has been used extensively in our history.

As our world deteriorates into “us and them” and the United States government amps up its use of militarized police and border patrol, we will be challenged with the ongoing use of these less-lethal weapons, often against unarmed, peaceful and innocent human beings.

We had plenty of time to be prepared for the arrival of the asylum seekers. We knew they were desperate and exhausted. Instead of using our resources to process the arrivals of those legally seeking asylum or to provide care for the weary, we chose instead to use tear gas.

We are walking down a very dangerous path. Our ignorance creates division among us. We must step out of the shadows. Wisdom calls for respect and peace to prevail. Humanity demands it.

 

Photo by Rob Wilson

You can listen to this piece on Soundcloud.

Helping those in need of our help…some organizations on the ground and doing good.
https://alotrolado.org/programs/refugee-program/
https://www.pueblosinfronteras.org
https://www.immdef.org
http://www.carecen-la.org
https://www.borderangels.org/

Thanksgiving

It is Thanksgiving. A good day.

Too bad it has been shackled in stories of kind Pilgrims, turkeys and God’s gift to mankind. At a time when murdered and missing indigenous women are all but forgotten and treaties are broken for extraction of resources, perhaps we need to begin again. Perhaps we can add a little truth to our thanks.

It is a very rude awakening to realize the victor shaped the stories taught and memorized.

The people who arrived on the shores of this “new world” were determined to usurp valued resources and willing to wipe out the Native population. They were certain this land was a gift from their “God”. They believed that the indigenous living here were godless and unworthy. They left England certain that the prophesized “End” was coming soon and they were here to create a new world at any cost.

These beliefs and fragments of them have lived on in our culture; driving agendas and allowing hate to continue. Reconciliation and peace are possible, but we must be willing to rectify what has been so terribly wrong.

Today is Thanksgiving. We have the choice to perpetuate lies or to promote the true and lasting thanks Native peoples celebrated long before the advent of the Pilgrims. The giving of thanks to the Creator for the harvest has always come naturally to those living in harmony with the land.

We are all sickened by lies. When we understand these tales are causing harm, we will end the telling of them.

There is no need to perpetuate division among us. Our mutual history is of stolen lands, slavery and slaughtered people. It is also a story of kindness, friendship and giving Thanks. Let these victors tell new stories.

 

 

You can listen to it here.

No Excuses for War

The 27 million people of Yemen are bound by a geographical dilemma. They are bordered by Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea. Iran and Saudi Arabia have chosen to duel out their differences over the people of Yemen, producing a bloody civil war for the past three years. The United States, Great Britain and France have all supported Saudi Arabia with weaponry, intelligence and fuel. The Houthi rebels have been backed by Iran.

That is the scenario of our foreign policy. Somehow in the word game of war we are supposed to understand and accept the slaughter of thousands of civilians caught in the middle as collateral damage.

We are supposed to ignore the human beings trapped by minefields, mortars and airstrikes. We are supposed to understand that 10, 000 killed and millions displaced have some purpose in the great scheme of things.

We are to accept the famine caused by the collapse of Yemen’s currency and skyrocketing food prices. We are to pray for the victims as we learn that nearly 14 million are expected to die over the next few months.

Our government and the governments of the world would like us to continue to believe there is nothing we can do. But the violent murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has started to wake us again to the realization that we must fight for human rights and human dignity.

Squeezing Iran with sanctions and continuing arms sales to the Saudis are not the ways to peace. It only ensures war will continue.

One year ago it was projected that 50, 000 Yemenis’ children would die by year’s end – today the projections are that 5 million may die. What will it take for our nation’s people to rise up for peace? To rise against our government’s insistence on war over diplomacy?

It is time we stand for peace at all costs.

 

This piece aired Nov 15 on WDRT. You can listen to it here on Soundcloud.

This is the most current update on our government’s refusal to get out of Yemen.