Patriarchy: I Wonder…
“Whether all is really lost or not depends entirely on whether or not I am lost.” — Vaclav Havel
I wonder:
Is the USA’s president hell-bent on acting out racist, sexist, homophobic, misogynistic, elitist and supremacy beliefs?
Is there an intent and design to his pattern of derision, divisiveness and exclusionary rhetoric?
Do we possess the means to deflect the echo of his skillful usage of disinformation?
Do his actions epitomize the worst aspects of patriarchy? of humanity?
Are his actions the problem or symptomatic of those things each of us have yet to reconcile within ourselves?
The tyranny of patriarchy is the long standing distinctive patten of humanity. Patriarchy is our dominant social operating system. Racism, sexism, homophobia, elitism, derision, divisiveness, exclusion and supremacy are—regrettably—humanity’s signature. Its dominant articulation and expression.
I wonder:
Are not the tenets of patriarchy our own un- and witting individual expressions? Mine? Yours?
Do we flinch at this thought—yet pretend it is not?
Is our pretense an obstacle? One perpetuating our denial?
Does our pretending continue our individual indecency? …that of others?
Does pretending prevent us from opening to and developing our capacities to Love?
I wonder:
Do we not conform to patterns of we and they—us and them?
Are we each not patriarchy’s signatories?
Do we not speak of patriarchy when referring to those out there to distance ourselves from our own equivalent actions?
Do we really think the monsters are only out there?
Humanity has long traversed a course antithetical to Love. Is it so that no one advances spiritually until the whole advances?
I wonder:
Since we as individuals each live out The Hero’s Journey—the story where we must survive or die from a significant ordeal—be utterly tested and changed by it—must we, collectively, do the same?
Are we?
Has the USA now entered this ordeal?
What will be the impact on our world?
Though our ancestors reside in other precincts, were they to tell us things—they’d commend that we Choose Love in our lifetime. They’d acknowledge that they themselves had not. They’d acknowledge their witting and unwitting complicity in the plight of humanity. They’d say that were we to act with graciousness, generosity, kindness and compassion—were we to act inclusively without capitulation—particularly with those whose thinking opposes our own—we would experience more ease and beauty and joy—irrespective of the degree of our difficulty in our lives. They’d say humanity’s distinctive pattern would shift away from patriarchy—from our unloving routines. This is Choosing Love, they’d say.
I wonder:
Though unaware, do we not each deny our capacities to Choose Love?
Do we realize that our failing to Choose Love has rendered us lost?
Though unaware, do we each refuse Love?
Do we not say “No” to Life? to Love daily? Albeit unawares…
I wonder:
Do epochs of thought and action cycle in and out of favor?
Have we not transitioned into a different one now?
What type of epoch will we make it?
My next post will address pushback: resistance and counterbalancing forces, and other such imperatives.