Dena Eakles

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 10^th, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights celebrated its 70^thanniversary. 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.

Tear Gas and Children

On Sunday November 25^th, 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/

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.

Enemy of the People

The elections have come and gone but the dilemmas of governance still face us. And if there is an enemy of the people, the enemy remains this: fear.

My first encounter with white fear came in my youth from an aunt who told me how the “colored” races were poised to outnumber whites. She showed me literature on it. She commented on the character of Jews. This was my first taste of fear and hatred. I did not like it then. I like it less now. My father, her brother, did not share her viewpoints. A Republican and a Veteran he taught me about respect of others, about patriotism and most importantly about respect of self.

I had a choice then and I have a choice now. To accept fear mongering, to pretend it’s not there, or to stand up and call it out for what it is. And what is it? Fear is the death trap of the living. It is the cold and dismal feeling that drains hope from our being. It is the precursor to anger and hate.

What does fear have to do with an election? This election was not only a race between parties. It was a choice between the politics of fear and the politics of hope.

And in this very fortunate moment, as people of color are stepping up and fulfilling the promises of this great country – we must support them. When people are grieving loved ones lost in violent and unforgivable ways, we must stand by them. When the earth weeps for the brutality we have wrought on her, we must come to her aid.

This is our moment of choice. Who we are and who we want to be is before us. Fear or hope. Kindness or brutality. It is no longer a choice between Republican and Democrat. It is a choice to be human.

The photo is of yarrow. From wikipedia: “In antiquity, yarrow was known as herbal militaris, for its use in stanching the flow of blood from wounds.”

This piece aired on WDRT’s “Consider This” November 8.

Walking

As I write, it is reported that there may be as many as 7, 000 Honduran migrants walking through the scorching Mexican sun to reach their destination – political asylum in the United States. Contrary to the wild reports made by our president of terrorists and gang members among them, the people are largely mothers with children desperate to seek new beginnings from our country, which is preparing to close our borders to them. And yet another wave of 2000 Honduran people are preparing to begin the journey north.

It is not because Honduran people like the treacherous journey that they walk. They walk out of desperation.

These caravans of human beings have been occurring for some time with people trying to escape the violence and poverty of their country. A country greatly diminished by the United States supported coup d’état in 2009. What we are witnessing is the end result of a series of missteps by United States foreign policy in the region. What they are fleeing is a repressive Honduran government aided by the financial and technical support of the United States.

And before we put blame on the Trump administration we must understand the role of the Obama administration and the actions of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in creating this human nightmare. We must recon with the reality that our military is and has been used to benefit corporate interests – both here and abroad.

To understand that our politics, regardless of affiliation has been imperialistic; that our military has been used to support corporate greed could wake us to the reality that it is our responsibility to rein in the unleashed power of the United States. It is up to each of us to fight for the preservation of our humanity.

It is time to lend a hand, not build another bomb.

You can listen to this on Soundcloud. It aired on WDRT Thursday Nov 1.

*photo on Facebook, no credit found, but it does tell the story…

With Our Consent

Our long term and complicit relationship with Saudi Arabia has recently become more insidious. It has come as our president – with unquestioned financial ties to Saudi Arabia – is unable to demand from the Saudis a full account of the gruesome murder of the Saudi born, United States permanent resident and outspoken journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.

This is happening while audio of the torture and dismemberment of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul is slowly leaked. This as his body parts and disfigured face are discovered buried at the consulate. This as CEO’s cancel trips to Saudi Arabia and German Chancellor Merkel stops the sale of arms to that country. This while the Turkish president insists on bringing the squad of killers to trial in his country where the brutal murder took place.

Trump has called the lame and ever-changing excuses put forth by the Saudis regarding the death of Jamal Khashoggi as “credible”. He has insisted he does not want to sanction the Saudis and cut off an arms deal.

Yet the world watches as we give up our humanity and any remaining moral leadership for money; money that will supply bombs to Saudi Arabia so they may continue to destroy Yemen and countless innocent children with our weaponry and our consent.

I am reminded of “thirty pieces of silver” as I listen to the president grovel at the feet of the Crown Prince.

So while everyone is focused on getting out the vote – which is good and fine – we are losing something more than an election.

Talk to one another. Bring decency back into the narrative. And bring your courage to speak out. Your silent vote is good but your standing up now is what is needed.

Photo credit: Cash. (Jericho/Wikimedia Commons)

Author: Dena Eakles