Our Ship is Finally Coming In.Let's Not Miss the Boat!!

When I was a teenager, I belonged to an organization called "Beyond War." They believed war was an outdated means of resolving conflict, that we were moving toward a post-national world, and encouraged identifying as "global citizens." This group was the first to encircle the world by live satellite linkage in 1986 for the presentation of a peace award to an international antinuclear group called "Five Continent Peace Initiative." The Nuclear Freeze movement was going full throttle then, and I was privileged to encounter such activists as William Sloane Coffin, great grandson of the Underground Railroad activist, Levi Coffin.

I read about the history of other movements, such as Abolition and Civil Rights, in which people of multiple backgrounds cooperated for positive good. These movements extended beyond the issues of the day to fundamental questions about the nature of humanity, society and God.For reasons I do not fully comprehend, the antinuclear and environmental movements of my teen years were not diverse. (I know economics played a role, but impoverished people were involved in Abolition and Civil Rights, and they were most affected by environmental degradation and the out-of-control arms race of that time.) However, they DID address fundamental existential questions-and often lamented the lack of conversation partners. Young activists were taught respect for the Earth. Good-I was naturally connected to Nature and for once did not feel threatened by people standing by while what I understood to be an extension of myself was destroyed. We were taught pacifism. Good-though I never completely accepted it, it lent some balance and coping skills to this kid who used to win fights with her older sisters by trying to strangle them. We were taught integration and internationalism. Good and bad. Bad that we were not encouraged in our own history and traditions. Liberalism still suffers from the loss of connection to Ancestors and the advantages that "Traditional" values of any culture bring. Good because, despite the place for cultural divisions and uniqueness, we are an increasingly connected society. Global institutions, challenges and awarenesses are rapidly evolving and it is imperative that we develop a language for positive change and development on this scale. This is a social and spiritual language as well as political and economic.

There are many paradoxes-Catch 22s-in social reform today. Good little Resistance Caucasians were raised on peace and integration as moral dietary staples. Then they go to a meeting of Africans who are trying to establish just and culturally appropriate institutions FOR THEMSELVES, emphasizing the importance of space to do this-and seemingly chucking the fundamental values of every successful social justice movement-and the values that we have been taught are necessary for global survival- out the window. However, whenever I've listened a bit closer, I have found that they mean no harm, and will give respect as it is given. Frankly, I am generally awed and humbled by their patience and have found openness when I have been open and honest. When I've looked a bit deeper I see amazing concrete contributions of this self-centered (in a positive way) activism to individuals, families and communities.

On the other hand, the antinuke folks were basically right. At the deepest level, practically and spiritually, separateness is an illusion. I have found "my space" in this truth for my entire life. Many of the principles I learned in the antinuclear movement, and in Christianity are basic to my own healing and advancement. However, unlike most Caucasians, I did not transform and advance into these beliefs from a Caucasian identity-I FORMED my first identity there as a way of coping with my particular spiritual and ancestral situation. As a result, I don't feel that I have to PROVE my universality. I'm all for peace but can also say without compunction that my main personal problem with shooting up the KKK-or Saddam hussein or any other terrorists or tyrants- is that nobody will give me a gun due to my visual impairment. I'm not much good at helping Caucasians (or anyone) undo racism because I honestly don't get where they are coming from. I work best at the crossroads where cultures meet. That is why I work with immigrants. That is why I am a member of one of the most intercultural Catholic parishes in the world. And that is why I know that what counts first and foremost is what God wants, not what makes us comfortable and that respect entails BOTH mutual respect of space and extending-and recognizing and accepting-invitations to other spaces-even if we don't resonate with the envelope they come in- because NOBODY can build transformed selves, families and communities that are disconnected from a transformed world.