The following fragment is taken from a reply to one of my American students. Since the US election results she has been feeling some what depressed and anxious, not to mention betrayed. I was hoping to expand this fragment into a more complete article but time and work load are seemingly conspiring against me. Maybe I’ll find time to do a revision…
“Trust me, although you feel it worse than the rest of the world, Americans are not the only ones fearful and depressed at the US election results. The Brexit referendum was bad enough for us in the U.K.. Then Trumps election; The general rise of ‘right wing’ Neo-nazi sentiments across parts of Europe, the U.K. and America, coupled with a seeming willingness to be ignorant and stupid by large sections of society, does seem to be steering us towards a very dark and dangerous place. It’s only natural that those of us who hold values of peace, understanding, love of all existences and justice should feel under threat, and that we are ‘at war’ with the tides of fear, intolerance and ignorance. By following the Druid way and initiating ourselves into the “Druidic current” we have, somewhat unwittingly, become beacons for what we believe in and the values and virtues we hold. I guess that now more than ever we need to lead by example and, as the old cliche says, “be the change we want to see”.* I also think that it’s natural that you feel like you aren’t ‘doing enough’ or aren’t ‘committed enough’. But the truth is that any spark of light or ray of hope against the darkness is utterly invaluable in these uncertain times. All we can do is be strong and stay true to our core beliefs and sense of moral justice.”
* Often, incorrectly, attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. Apparently the actual quote from Gandhi is:
“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.”
But I guess that’s not quite as pithy or easy to remember 🙂
A Druid in the Aeon of the Child 