What We See
What We See
What we see is colonization, live.
What we see is what we have been given.
What we see is those who have gone beyond their means.
What we see is a way to fill the unfillable void.
What we see is the insatiable thirst for more.
What we see, we don’t want to believe.
What we see, we will regret.
What we see is the opposite of love.
What we see is selective care.
What we see is up to you and me.
Robert Colescott - School Days 1
The Ideological "Isms"
The Story of the Concierge and the Realtor
He worked here for 12 years as the head concierge, always kind and gentle. He knew everyone in these two buildings, a combined 80 floors. Then, on October 7, everything changed. Within two weeks, he was fired for sharing a Facebook post about Palestine. I don't know exactly what he shared, but it led to immediate termination. One of the board members claimed they felt unsafe, and suddenly, a man who made everyone feel safe for over a decade was seen as a threat.
Meanwhile, a Realtor posted a photo of Gaza’s bombed buildings, mocking the dead with a caption that read, "Property for sale, but no water or electricity available." It was meant as a joke. He worked with Remax, and calls were made to have him barred from real estate. I’m unsure if he’s still working, but there was a strong outcry to get him suspended.
One person supported life and freedom, while the other mocked destruction. In my circles, most people, regardless of race, religion, or culture, don't support the violence on October 7, but we also don't support what happened before or after. This conflict has created a wedge between people who once lived peacefully together.
Recently, I was at a new café with friends, and we asked a staff member who the owner was. She hesitated before saying the name. The current tensions have created a climate where even owning a business can cause concern. Where the name of a person can result in loss of business. Where a social media share can mean a loss of one’s job.
This is where we are now—people getting fired, businesses worried about their owners' backgrounds and a city that feels less like the Toronto I grew up in. There is a deep sadness in this. I grew up with Jewish brothers and sisters whom I will always love. But the current state of Israel and Palestine has driven an even deeper wedge for two groups of people who share so much in common. Despite everything, I still have love in my heart. I feel no hate, only a deep sadness because I know there is another way. I’ve lived that other way and still do. Toxic ideologies on both sides have divided us.
I spend a lot of time listening to all sides because it’s important, even if I disagree with someone or think they’re being manipulative. Governments worldwide, not just in one country, are filled with people who prioritize their personal interests over the people they serve.
The message I hear today reminds me of what I heard as a child. Zionists seem to have a separate source of information, but this isn't unique to them. When I was younger, I didn’t understand the source of the Zionist narrative. I knew nothing about Zionism, just that certain topics were off-limits. On the Muslim side, I was an insider, many of my once very liberal, progressive family suddenly became more religious. I’m okay with different religious practices, but I resist when others try to impose their fanatical ideas on me.
It's also been interesting to learn how there are both Christian and Jewish Zionists, and being anti-Zionist is often equated with being anti-Jewish. This label is even applied to Jewish people who are anti-Zionist, more often called "self-hating Jews"—people like Gabor Maté, Norman Finkelstein, Naomi Klein, and others.
Over the last 10 months, like many people, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve always followed my feelings and used them as a compass for how I show up in the world. I don’t judge others because I understand what it’s like to have ideologies forced upon you. I’ve spent a lot of time deprogramming and making space for beliefs aligned with my spirit.
This brings me to the documentary Israelism Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen, another so-called "self-hating Jew." I think it’s important for everyone to watch, but I want to emphasize that harmful ideologies aren’t limited to one group. For example, Saudi Arabia government doesn’t represent Islam, just as Zionism doesn’t represent Judaism. If you watch this, I encourage you to reflect on the ideologies that have been instilled in you and how they might separate you from humanity, all beings, and this beautiful planet we’re blessed to engage with. These ideologies create barriers between us and having a more symbiotic relationship with our home, Earth.
There are many beautiful rituals and practices in all religions, but they are often overshadowed by toxic ideologies that act as a dam to the essence of these divine gifts.
If you’re wondering if you’re drowning in an ideology, reflect on your relationships with those who are "different" from you. How does your heart feel towards them? Is it unconditionally loving or filled with judgment? Also, examine your relationship with our planet. How do you treat her daily?
Ideologies disconnect us not only from others but also from ourselves. They divide and conquer, starting with the individual and spreading outward. Zionism and Wahhabism have created a wedge between Muslims and Jews, but I refuse to let any ideology change how I feel about my Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters, many of whom I believe are disconnected from the divine essence within, from the moment they enter this world the programming of separation began.
My heart continues to open to all. I weep for the traumatized and the traumatizer because the traumatizer was once traumatized. We cannot find peace until we understand this cycle and start the healing process.
I have so much hope, but I’ll admit I’ve spent the last couple of months in darkness. This photo was from a few months ago, the first time in 10 years that my old friend depression visited me (or maybe I visited him). I’ve been in and out of it since returning to Toronto. It’s different this time because I can observe myself in this state. I also have many tools now and know how to navigate this darkness, recognizing the gifts it holds and how to bring myself back into the light.
I leave you with this to ponder, including my Christian brothers and sisters. They seem to be less involved, perhaps thinking this is an issue between Jews and Muslims. But why are Christian Zionists so adamant about protecting Israel, even to the point of silencing non-Zionist Jews? What exactly do they want? How do they benefit from this conflict and Middle Eastern instability? What does the genocide and displacement of the indigenous people of Latin America and North America have in common with the current situation in the Middle East?
This brings me to ask more questions: Who is in whose land? Who has infiltrated others' lands with military bases everywhere? Who is the terror, and who is terrorized? We must get crystal clear on this and acknowledge that our freedoms come at the expense of others, from Latin America to the Middle East to Africa. How did Zionists and Wahhabis infiltrate our minds? Like any business, they needed resources to expand—resources that both the Saudis and Israelis have.
I will pause now with this conflict. I want to learn more about other conflicts like the one in Sudan and also local issues in Canada because the truth is, we are not doing well. How could we when our resources, our tax dollars, and the illusion of freedom that we experience result from another's suffering? We are not well, and a band-aid won’t help because this illness has penetrated deep below the surface. Despite all my tools and strength to hold darkness, I have limits on how much I can consume. People from all sides are fighting this battle. As the courageous @plestia said, this is no longer just about Palestine; it’s a much greater fight.
Freedom for Palestine and its people is a stepping stone to freedom for all.
Here is a list of a few people I follow if you are interested:
Lex Friedman Podcast - Listen/Watch his interview with Iman Dr. Omar Suleiman
I also watch Al Jazeera, Zeteo and sometimes Israeli news channels, which I think is important in all conflicts, even when there isn’t one. Exposing ourselves to others’ views and beliefs allows us to find compassion and common ground, even when we vehemently disagree. Love has no boundaries. It costs nothing to give, and it’s a resource that never runs out, although some groups try to block it with ideologies.
This piece is a culmination of everything I’ve absorbed, not just in the last 10 months but over 47 years of swimming in this stew.
In the end, consume all the information you want, but the way to help is to go within—not to dissociate, but to cultivate a deeper connection with your heart and mind. Purify, create space, deprogram the viral ideologies, and we will meet on the other side.
Much love and peace to all.
Happy America Day: Reflecting on Freedom and Responsibility
Happy America Day! It is a dream for some and a nightmare for others.
Are our values and freedoms achieved at the expense of others' suffering? Can we genuinely attain happiness and peace if the answer to this question is yes? Can we choose to be conscious or unconscious of how our money, an extension of our energy, contributes to the suffering of others?
For the first time, are we collectively seeing? We have no choice but to be conscious of our collective unconsciousness.
Freedom
Does my freedom depend on others' suffering?
If my freedom comes from taking the liberty of others, can I indeed be free?
Are we less free or more free? We have freedom of speech (with rules attached) and freedom of movement, but what about the freedom within our minds and hearts?
We complain about our politicians and leaders and blame them, but if this is the furthest distance our voice travels, are we not failing and complicit? I am realizing that complaining about politicians is a waste of time. It does nothing to change the realities we live in.
We have been through many difficult times, but why does this feel different?
Are those in power not a reflection of you and me?
It's similar to the leaders we choose; they cause suffering to others with our money, and we continue to do nothing. It's so much easier to blame a select few, but it's more important to look at ourselves and make the tiniest changes in how we move through the world, think, feel, and love.
It's like our ancestors' gifts and traumas that were passed down consciously and unconsciously. Our ancestors may be long gone, but it is up to us in this present moment to make a choice, right their wrongs, and heal their wounds. Their wounds live within us. If we don't do it, we will pass it down to our children, and if they don't, then their children, and on and on, it goes until someone steps on the brakes.
Are we free across all layers within? To attain pure freedom requires tiny steps towards a full conscious awakening, an opening of our hearts, for a closed heart is no symbol or sign of freedom.
We have all been born into a life of separation and suppression, reinforced and normalized by our families and societies.
Most would see the conflicts today and suggest that the oppressed and displaced don't have freedom. True, they don't have physical freedom to move and be as they please, but they have freedom within their hearts. Although they continue to be traumatized, they even have freedoms within their minds. The oppressors have the illusion of freedom to move as they wish, but their hearts and minds are caged by an ideology that acts as a disguise to serve them.
World Social Forum 2024 Nepal
Whatever feelings you may have about these words, I invite you to take a moment—ideally many moments over many days, weeks, and years, as long as it takes—to reflect on freedom within all four layers of being. Is my body free? Is my mind free? Is my heart free? Is my soul free? What am I a slave to? We are all slaves to something.
What does freedom mean to you? Is your freedom at the expense of another's? Does it need to be this way?
The wars are a reflection of a more significant battle, a battle that lives within our hearts and minds. Don't underestimate the power of cultivating peace, balance, and healing within. The more of us that heal within, find balance, cultivate peace, and open our hearts to ourselves and others, the faster the external will heal. When we free ourselves from the enslavement of the system, we will free those who suffer as a result of us perpetuating the problem by not cutting the chains of capitalistic enslavement.
Don't close yourself off to what is happening out there. You can remain unconscious, but it will become conscious sooner or later—if not for you, then for your children or those yet to arrive. You don't have to complete the work, but we all need to start it.
It's an important day to reflect on freedom because America prides itself on being the land of the free, but at what cost? At whose expense?
Fighting for Freedom Within
The entity without is the same entity within. We can go outside and fight against the injustices in our world, but the injustices also live inside of us. Learn how to bring justice within your own heart, then you can teach, guide, and inspire others to do the same.
What will life be like when we experience justice within our hearts? Are we working to rid ourselves of this entity or looking to heal and become one with it? To work together. How do these seemingly opposing energies inside of us come together? Balance.
If we look at the conflicts of the present moment, they will only attain peace and complete freedom once they come together. Both sides have something to bring to the table. Is this true? Who benefits from this conflict? How are we contributing to those benefactors? What steps do we need to take to take back that which is most precious?
As we celebrate America Day, it's crucial to reflect on what freedom truly means. True freedom is not just about physical movement or speech; it's about freeing our minds and hearts from the chains of ignorance, prejudice, and complacency. Our collective responsibility is to heal our internal wounds, recognize our complicity in societal injustices, and make conscious choices that promote equality and compassion. Only then can we hope to achieve genuine freedom for ourselves and others. This journey begins within, and by taking small steps towards inner peace and balance, we can create a ripple effect that transforms the world around us. Let us strive for a freedom that uplifts everyone, not just a privileged few.