Facing the reality of our time, the mega-crisis or meta-crisis, many of us find ourselves asking, “What is my role in all this? What can I do or what am I called to do?” I’d like to reflect here at two aspects of myself that get my attention and move me in different ways. I think of these as distinct identities, two parts of myself that have their own sensibility and ways of being and acting. They come from different sources of my own development and ancestral inheritances. They sometimes collaborate and sometimes appear to conflict.
I’m especially drawn to examine how these two parts of myself, and I suspect many others, relate to the crises we are currently dealing with, the overlapping and intersecting issues of: climate change, militarism, poverty, mass migrations, authoritarian governments, patriarchy and racism, economic insecurity for the many and super-abundant wealth and power for a select few and paralyzing political polarization. Given the horrific events unfolding in Gaza right now, I want to pay specific attention there.
Where there is conflict, the healer in me will focus on the repairing of relationships, building bridges of understanding and empathy, and helping people move towards more cooperation and community. Where there is violence or war, the healer seeks to have the two sides dialogue and learn to empathize with each other. In the case of our ecological crises, the healer works towards repairing damaged areas of the Earth and restoring species in danger of extinction. In group conflicts and wars, the healer aims for diplomacy, seeing the other sides point of view and compromise to avoid violence. The healer may also work with people to awaken to a healthy relationship with non-human life, to care for and be respectful with the animal and plant realm, the rivers and oceans. In his book The Six Pathways of Destiny, Ralph Metzner says, “the core value of the healer, whether at the level of the individual, the family, community or society is wholeness and harmony.”
An alternate approach is that of the warrior. In the world, the warrior gets engaged in the struggle to protect and defend oppressed and abused human beings, animals, ecosystems and the whole of Mother Earth. The warrior will fight to change systems of injustice, challenge prejudice and combat authoritarianism. While the word warrior is often associated with violence, there is increasing awareness that it is an archetypal aspect of all humans. Warriors can function non-violently and with compassion even for those they oppose in the struggle. My Agni Yoga teacher, Russell Schofield, taught that the immune system of our body is a manifestation of the warrior energy and consciousness in that it defends and protects our physical organism at the cellular level.
In the present moment, many of us have turned our attention to the war raging in the Middle East, especially between Israel and the Palestinians. Several decades ago, I was involved in dialogue groups that included Israeli and American Jews, and Palestinian and other Muslim Arabs. Our time together helped all of us feel friendlier and understand each other with greater empathy. But it did nothing to change the ongoing drastic imbalance of power and the military Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza which we all agreed needed to be ended. Today, there are continued efforts at dialogue and interpersonal healing both in the U.S. and Israel/Palestine. (See Roots https://b8ofhope.org/roots/ for example). There are even communities of Jews and Palestinians living and working together in the hope of spreading the message that people do not need to fear or hate each other and can genuinely get along. (See Oasis of Peace: https://www.oasisofpeace.org/, for example).
I strongly support the healers working as individuals and groups committed to this work even through extremely challenging times. However, it seems to me that there is a need for the warrior spirit as well. As I write this and as you are reading this, I am quite certain more than one Palestinian has been killed by Israeli forces (currently approximately 100/day). The devastation in Gaza is almost beyond comprehension and the violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and the seizure of yet more land continues unabated. At times like this, it feels important to make a choice to defend and support those being overwhelmed by violent aggression. It’s for this reason that I support non-violent resistance to Israel’s armed invasion of Gaza and the decades-long Occupation. For me, this includes the support of the ceasefire movement and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement: https://bdsmovement.net/.
It is important to say that the healer and warrior can work simultaneously and collaboratively. They can be embodied in one person. In many ways, both Ghandi and King were both healers and warriors. Another contemporary example is Dr. Gabor Maté, best known for his work with healing trauma, especially in treating addictions. He is a Holocaust survivor and was raised as a strong believer in Zionism. Yet he speaks out strongly against the Israeli Occupation and the role of Zionism. Here is an interview in which he speaks movingly of “Trauma and the Israel-Palestine Conflict.” https://scienceandnonduality.com/videos/a-call-for-healing/
When we look more deeply at the causes of abuse, domination and violence, we see that perpetrators are often themselves conditioned by experiences of abuse and trauma. They are themselves in need of healing. Compassionate dialogue with them can sometimes lead to changes in their orientation and behavior. At the same time, the warrior is needed to stand against the violence and injustice and challenge the belief systems that support destructive and abusive behaviors. The two kinds of activity working together bring hope that peace with justice can be achieved on Earth.
However horrible the events are in Israel/Palestine, there are dozens of other places and significant issues in the world that need attention. The healer and the warrior are necessary, but not the only paths or identities for people who want to help. Various authors have pointed to the role of the artist, scientist or organizer for addressing problem areas. I hope these reflections are helpful to you in finding your path to creatively and actively being part of making our world more healthy and just.
May peace with justice prevail.