It is clear to those who know and work with "shadow" issues that Barack Obama has brought up the shadow material for many people in the United States. What is shadow material? That which has been denied, pushed into the dark recesses of the mind and heart.
So, when I recently "got it" on a deeper level, it wasn't really a surprise. Essentially, in this country, we have projected a lot of fear and anger onto people of color. Barack Obama is now very prominent in the national psyche, and therefore heightens these issues.
What happened for me was a series of emails, sent originally by an acquaintance who I would not have thought would be so vitriolic. As the emails went back and forth between a number of people, some were nearly hate mail, and some seemed for more sane and heart centered.
I found it quite interesting at the same time I really did not enjoy the enmity. My first reaction was to use logic. For example, some said Obama was born in Kenya, not in the U.S., and therefore would be ineligible for the office of President. I suggested that if this was actually true, then it surely would have been highly newsworthy and would have appeared on all TV channels by now. And I also thought the Democratic Party surely vets its candidate for President quite thoroughly. Alas, this logic only made it worse!
There are other things being said - words such as terrorist, fraud, and thuggery - that I do not understand. The man I see in Barack Obama is thoughtful and intelligent in words and deeds; and persistent certainly. Some have said "statesmanlike."
As I thought about it, I got a glimpse of a long time sickness in our beautiful country. It is coming to a head. We are now facing our shadow - our shadow as a nation born of slavery and oppression.
And then I felt the weight of this on all people of color here in the States. And then of the caste system, and the various shades of skin all over the globe. There may be places where this is not an issue, but I wouldn't bet on it.
We (and I mean personally and collectively) must face our fears: personal, political, and global. I pray we begin today. I hope we each vote for the person we believe in, and let go of our fears and angers.
1 comment:
Well said, Jackie, and I wondered about the tone of the email you refer to as well. I sometimes forget that my perception of the needs of the environment and this country may not be the same as someone else's, and that even though it is one's intention to walk a spiritual path in non-attachment it is so easy for any one of us to get caught up in our own issues.
Blessings to you and your new blog! Munay, Rose
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