Here in the U.S., I’m watching the unraveling of human rights protections by Christian extremists who have been handed control of the Supreme Court. They were handed this power by folks who have spent literally decades and hundreds of millions of dollars on pushing a viewpoint based on lies and a raw desire for power. This includes dozens of anti-trans and anti-gay legislation, the loss of body sovereignty for women, the removal of the need for police to inform those arrested of their rights, and now the green lighting of teachers leading prayer in public schools as I write this.
I can’t think of any other way to describe this except as fascism, an authoritarian and nationalistic system of government, that is intolerant of any group but their own, and any ideas but their own.
It’s directly in contradiction to the reality of living in the United States, which contains a great variety of peoples, religions and perspectives, and the vast majority of which disagree vehemently with these changes.
I have a variety of feelings in my heart.
- Anger at the injustice.
- Real grief at the injuries and deaths that will happen as a result.
- Hope and optimism that even very complacent people are being awakened to the injustice.
The fact that while not entirely easy, it was entirely possible, shows us that the United States is actually operating as designed. If you look into U.S. history, both the U.S. Senate and the Supreme Court were put in place and have consistently been used to thwart the democratic will of the majority in favor of the desires of the elite.
My hope is that these fascist forces have over-reached themselves, that they have awakened even very complacent folks into caring, into seeing that terrible things are happening, far beyond a simple difference in opinion on policy.
If you’re in the U.S. here’s what we can do:
1. Feel: Face our feelings in ourselves, and give space to them. We have healing to do, how we’ve been complicit in this system.
2. Join: Organizations have been working on these issues for decades. They could use our support, financial and otherwise. Don’t start new things, join in with what’s already happening.
3. Vote: Voting is a small part of the picture, but necessary. Don’t give it more attention than it deserves, but don’t ignore it, either. Especially for local elections.
4. Joy: Embrace joyful things. Continue working to make the world a better place. This is a long-term struggle, and we’re only going to get someone if joy and living life is a part of it all.
Not in the U.S.?
This may not be a priority for you, you have your own stuff to deal with. If you happen to want to, maybe let your government representatives know that you’d like the United Nations to pressure the U.S. around human rights violations.
What does this have to do with business?
Everything.
Business is not separate from life. Business carries our values like every other part of our lives. We learn sovereignty and empowerment in business, and that’s what we need to express in public life as well.
And that’s what’s on my heart today.
With love,
Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.
