Activism
As winter approaches, those who have continuously protested for months against the Dakota Access Pipeline are preparing to stay warm as North Dakota temperatures begin to dip well below freezing. Donations such as warm winter clothes, food, and medical supplies have been pouring in from around the country as national support for the protestor’s cause continues to grow. However, one donation from a small community in Oregon has grabbed attention in recent days for its ingenuity and thoughtfulness.
Culture has worked itself into a destructive and frustrating loop, and as the pattern of stress repeats itself, it leads us ever further away from our true nature. Largely cut off from spiritual medicine and deep spiritual experience, we don’t know which direction to turn for inspiration and strength. In order to dig ourselves out of the current trap of destruction the individual must be first healed.
Tribal leaders have now responded to what they termed the Corps’ “direct and irresponsible threat to the water protectors.” The Cheyenne River tribe, who are co-litigants in a lawsuit against the pipeline, sharply rebuked the plan, citing that the area on which the targeted camps lie are Sioux territory per the 1851 Fort Laramie treaty signed by the Sioux and the US federal government.
In the wake of several demonstrations of Islamophobia across the U.S., some people are going out of their way to support and embrace Muslims – and to conquer fear with love. Here are 6 positive actions you should know about.
The event description reads: “Come to Standing Rock Indian Reservation and hold the line with Wes Clark jr, Michael Wood Jr, Tulsi Gabbard and hundreds of other veterans in support of the Sioux nation against the DAPL pipeline. Bring Body armor, gas masks, earplugs AND shooting mufflers (we may be facing a sound cannon) but no drugs, alcohol or weapons.” Clark Jr. was clear he was not looking for violence and that the protest would be unarmed.
NativeNewsOnline reports that Fonda, a two-time Academy Award-winner, will visit the water protectors at the Oceti Sakowin camp as part of a delegation of 50 people from around the country. The intent is to serve a Wopila Feast to thank American Indian water protectors for their courage in defending Mother Earth.
May we have the courage to face this moment with attentive listening. May we have the courage to listen to the stories of people around us and strive to understand “the other.”
Water protectors battling the Dakota Access Pipeline are taking their increasingly urgent fight directly to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, making a final push for the Obama administration to reject the pipeline’s permit before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Having empathy in times of change is vital for self-preservation. That might sound backwards, but allowing ourselves to connect with others and put ourselves in their shoes keeps our hearts open, and with an open heart, we are able to live more congruent lives ourselves that are more aligned with our goals, dreams, etc. When we are in our heart space, and in the heart-mind we are our in our greatest creative space and our own perceptions are presumably the least bias they could be, because we are not so clouded by indoctrination, doubts, fear, insecurities, etc. In a sense, we reverse “perceptual entropy” that is caused by years and years of indoctrination by society.
The free-thinker will always emerge as the winner in a contest against the statist, for, it is the soul who needs no illusions and carries no attachments which can look upon the ashes of ruin and give them credit for being the first signs of new bloom.
Ruffalo continues to raise awareness about the pipeline which the Standing Rock Sioux, other tribes and environmental groups say could threaten water supplies for millions, as it runs through the Missouri River. Not only did he donate a pair of Navajo-made solar trailers which will help power the encampments established to protest the pipeline, he shared live feed from the Standing Rock Panel which has so far garnered almost 270,000 views.
Progressive icon and anti-war activist turned California lawmaker Tom Hayden passed on Sunday at the age of 76. Hayden dedicated his life to peace, social justice, and activism.
In 2008, Ashton Kutcher founded an organization with his ex-wife Demi Moore called Thorn. Thorn’s ultimate mission is to eliminate the sex trafficking and child exploitation over the internet. Since its debut, Thorn has helped rescue an astonishing 6,000 trafficking victims. In addition, 2,000 traffickers have been caught.
In North Dakota, 27 Indigenous water protectors were arrested in Monday’s action to peacefully occupy a Dakota Access Pipeline construction site. The arrests at the hands of militarized police came less than a day after a federal court of appeals ruled against the Standing Rock Sioux’s request for an emergency injunction against the controversial pipeline project.
What if one single word could “flip the paradigm,” unleashing the power to create enough for ourselves, enough for our communities and enough for the planet? And what if it wasn’t a trick or a gimmick, but a universal truth written into the very design of the cosmos?
