It’s a few days before Thanksgiving as I walk through the woods complaining to a friend about all that is wrong with the world. It may be the natural beauty of the environment or the impending holiday that causes me to stop and hear myself. I am suddenly fed up with my ranting which has become a burdensome habit. I turn to my friend and say, “I am no longer going to focus on the cement. I am going to focus on the green shoots coming up through the cracks.”
At that moment in the woods, I experienced an immediate shift from bitterness and powerlessness to a sense of optimism and empowerment. Instead of focusing on the forces of greed, hatred and oppression in the world, I made the decision to seek out, support and join with those projects, people and organizations that are making a positive difference in the world. This experience represented a fundamental shift from emphasizing what I stand against to what I stand for.
A powerful example of this new stance, was in January 2017. Beryl, my wife, and I joined with a green shoot—more like a massive tree—bursting through the cement when we participated in the Women’s March in Washington, DC, considered the largest march in US history. We marched through the streets with a crowd estimated at 1.2 million, along with millions throughout the world. I was moved to tears, sensing a deep, fundamental shift that was happening worldwide. I was deeply touched by the diversity and goodwill of all of us. As I marched, I thought of my mother with her ERA button on, back in the 70s, working for the equal rights of women and the countless women whose efforts led to this moment. The momentum of the march has continued, evidenced by the expansion of the #MeToo movement, the election of the most women to Congress in the history of the US, the recent “women’s wall” on New Year’s day, wherein millions of Indian women, hand-in-hand, created a 385 mile line, the largest public gathering of women for the cause of gender equality in India, and the final push for the Equal Rights Amendment, here, in Virginia which could be the last state needed for its ratification.
Since that walk in the woods, I still find myself slipping into negative rants. Sometimes, I am able to catch myself, saving those around me from the torture. I am making a conscious attempt to turn my attention to the green shoots. This is difficult when, as research says, we all tend toward the negative. This is further reinforced by the media’s policy of emphasizing the negative and “If it bleeds it leads.” In order to turn this personal and cultural habit force around, we need to make a continuous effort to turn our awareness towards what we stand for and with, both big and small: healthy nutrition, increased community participation in government, alternative energy, gardening, diversity, public art, worker-owned businesses, dancing,… So many possibilities.