Wake up. The hour has come to be more responsible. Change this world by starting with yourself. -Betty Shabazz
WAKE UP is a powerful and multi-meaning directive. Its metaphorical, spiritual, and political meanings are deep. We are prompted to recognize when we are sleepwalking through life, disconnected from what is happening within and around us. One of my immediate associations is the "wake up" segment from Spike Lee's film School Daze, a culturally-infused message to remember who we are and not get lost in petty infighting, community fragmentation, classism, or internalized racism. On a sociopolitical level, we must wake up to the expressions, violence, and impacts of oppression in all forms. The experience of awakening is steeped in meditation and spiritual traditions where waking up is related to enhanced awareness of spiritual truths such as the divinity and radiance of our being, our interconnectedness with the natural world, the inevitability of change, the power of love and compassion, the experience of being in communion with the transcendent, etc..
However, this weekend's wisdom quote from Dr. Betty Shabazz invites us to wake up to OUR RESPONSIBILITY - to the world, to each other, to ourselves. This quote calls us out and call us into self-inquiry around how we can level up our responsibility to evolve and transform ourselves, our communities, and the world. It is a strong message that we are responsible for changing the world not only by what we do, but also by who we ARE. Responsible acts emerge from a genuine and strong inner sense of responsibility that we feel deeply in our hearts and souls. It is also through acts of responsibility that this inner core can get stronger and stronger. Start somewhere ya'll. We are each others' keepers.
With Peace, Love, and Soulfulness,
Dr. Shelly Harrell
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