Here’s what I know: we humans are on an inevitable trajectory toward liberation. Many of us have been working on that for a very long time. Our ancestors did their part even when there was no glimmer of hope.

Our difficulty is that we can see the “promised land,” and that’s why it’s so hard to consider not getting there immediately. But we get there. Our ancestors were not wrong. We’ll get there.

What to do:

First we breathe. And grieve, for those of us who are hurting. Let us not suppress our honest grief, nor take it out on each other.

Then we remember our connections to the earth and each other, all our relations. Remember that those don’t change. We are deeply embedded in the web of life. That hasn’t changed a bit.

Having grieved and remembered, we then work. We take care of our babies and our elders. We check in on the neighbors and tend the gardens.

The context has changed, but the work of deepening our connections to each other and to the natural world has not.

Sometimes we’ll get angry and disheartened. That’s fine, but let us not build any permanent structures in the land of despair. That’s not where we live. It’s important to remember and remind each other about this.

Finally, let’s stay woke. And if we haven’t yet done so, let’s wake up. Let us not get distracted by this momentary foolishness — we are witnessing the death throes of patriarchy and white supremacy. That’s been going on for a while, and will continue for a while yet.

There is much to do, so let’s gather our wits, our trust, and our pals and keep steady on the path of building a just, loving, creative, and interconnected world. We can do this. I know we can.

It’s the only thing.

From my heart to yours,
Akaya