Thoughts on violence

Yesterday was the national march against Monsanto.  Living rurally means there is never much in the way of massive public protest.  But I was there in my heart.  And what's more, I continue to educate myself, and avoid Monsanto and companies that use their products.

Pretty much, we have to eat local and organic.  That simplifies our foods and improves our health.

Yesterday I also saw a brief video on Facebook.  It was of a young mother hitting her crying toddler with a pillow.  She hit the child 4 or 5 times, stopped, hugged herself and rocked the way we do when our stomach really hurts, then did it again - hit her child with the pillow.  I couldn't watch, but I couldn't avoid seeing it over and over in my head.  The comments below were all about the mom being evil incarnate.

I saw it differently.  I wanted to rush in and hug the mother, and hold the child. The mother is not evil.  She is alone and in pain.  The mother is trapped in the most violent society ever.  We are being trained to see one little snippet of truth, then judge - and judge without compassion.  This squeezing out of critical thought is the problem.

I knew one young mother who was harsh with her son after his father beat her.  Violence comes from being violated.  I would bet that this young mother in the video was beaten the same way, and that scared, pain-filled child is still inside her.

Instead of being held up as a symbol of evil, we all need to open our hearts and understand we need community. This mother should not be alone with her child.  She needs her sisters and brothers, her grandma and aunts, her mama. When we are there for each other, violence is limited.

I was thinking about the effects of violence on our psyche and our health, and suddenly I saw the wanton spreading of poison on our land, on insects, on plants that don't earn corporate money, and maybe accidentally - but still in reality - on birds and mammal...suddenly the sickness seemed the same.  Somehow the violence of poisoning the planet hit me in a whole new way.

Legally, we can't stop them - the producers of poisons (Did you know Monsanto CEO High Grant only eats organic foods?) legally.  The corporations have too much money, and have purchased the souls of our lawmakers.  But we can stop them by turning our backs on their products.   We educate ourselves, we look at what they are doing and we say "No thanks." We must do the same with the culture that is sprinkling the poison of violence all through our lives.  We must refuse to be separated.  We need our communities, we need each other.  We have to stop labeling and rejecting, and embrace.

I need you in my life. Be joyful and healthy.

Love from Clare