May All Beings Everywhere be Free

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu- May all beings, everywhere, be happy and free.

Last night I saw a video of a man being burned alive. I can’t unsee it. (And I’m not sure I should have the privilege to be able to do so.)

My heart aches. I feel hopeless and scared. How do we heal this broken world? How do we go on as if this isn’t happening?

I’m reminded of that idea of Oneness we hear so often about in Yoga. We are all one. This originated in the Bhagavad Gita.

Paraphrasing from my notes: Diversity & difference are an illusion. If the divine is in all things, then all are one. 

“Regardless of our differences, all humans suffer, and all humans desire to be free from that suffering.” 

When we build our world on ego or the idea that some people are more valuable than others, we create divisions and ahimsa (harm). We get lost in the illusion that our differences mean separation.

For over 800 years, my Irish ancestors were oppressed. I feel that in my bones. It weighs heavily as I watch the horrors unfold around us. 101 years ago they won their freedom. Yes, I am aware that as a light skinned person I have many privileges that others don’t. While the Irish are now free & don’t face discrimination, the traumas of the past live within us all. I pushed this aside for so long & didn’t feel I had the right to talk about my family’s oppression. But now I know that to honor my ancestors, I have to give voice to their suffering.

Maybe that’s why I can’t look away from the horrors being done to our fellow man. I bear witness to the atrocities so that they won’t be forgotten. Though I still feel hopeless, I hold space for the grief and injustice. Their suffering and tears are mine. Their pain and fear belong to all of us.

I pray someday that we will all be free from the shackles of illusion & ego. I pray that someday we all remember the Divine that resides in all of us. When we hurt each other, we hurt ourselves. At the core of each of us is love. I hope someday that we remember that.