I was raised in the era of Rage Against the Machine activism. I felt a deep anger for the injustices of the world. I wanted to change it. I wanted to fight for the oppressed. And that led me to having to deal with a lot of rage in my life.
Over the years, I’ve had to explore that rage. Where does it come from? Should I try and squelch it? Should I embrace those feelings? What happens if I do?
If we allow ourselves to feel these emotions and lean into them, how can we ever expect to be happy? How can we be an inspiration for peace if we’re so sad and angry? Can these emotions ever play a positive role in our lives? How do I engage in empathy without dragging myself down and being a source of negative energy?
In this episode, I talk about the resolve of MLK, the beauty of the film Crash and my love of Rage Against the Machine. Let’s dive in!
This is a heavy subject, and it brings me back to my first involvement with the American Indian Movement over 20 years ago. Unfortunately, the oppression and abuse of these sacred people has only worsened since that time.
Any time the Indians have stood their grounds as protectors of our planet, they have been railroaded by our government.
From the first days when they invited the Europeans in as friends, they have been exploited and abused to the point of almost complete extinction. But their message lives on. And there are still thousands of natives across our nation that carry on the American Indian ways.
If we truly care about the vitality of our planet and it’s inhabitants, we will head their warnings, integrate their wisdom, and find harmony with their people.
This is not a story about Indians protecting their land.
This is a story about how we treat people.
A story about American values and priorities.
I’m going to stay from the usual Show Notes method here and provide you with some actual resources about what’s going on at Standing Rock in regards to #NoDAPL. I hope these provide some useful insight. (Visit http://www.jaredangaza.com/e003-standing-rock-a-nations-perspective/ for Show Notes with resources and links.)