The Palestine Test

People’s response to the suffering in Palestine is both a Litmus Test and a Flash Point

An old friend, @I. Solas, recently described Palestine as both a flash point and a litmus test. I think that's basically correct.

You see, roughly half of my friends, mentors, & colleagues stopped speaking to me after I became (even more) vocal about Palestine, post-October 7th.

I often contemplate why some people ghosted me, while others hung in there. Here's the litmus test, as I see it:

• Can you actual bear witness to the suffering of others, or are you primarily focused on yourself and your small world?

This isn't easy. Many social activists fall into this, by the way, which became especially obvious to me when (for instance) many people in my network treated coverage of the Palestinian genocide in a zero-sum way, angered at how it seemed to take the focus off of their areas of advocacy. Sorry, but that's unhealthy ethnocentrism, by any other name. I won't even start with the technocrats.

• Can you handle justifiable anger, and can you understand that sometimes when people are experiencing overwhelming hurt, pain, & abandonment that they aren't always going to be perfect?

It's not ok to use our pain as justification for hurting others. But it's also not ok to abandon those we love, simply because it's inconvenient or painful for us to remain present with their legitimate suffering. Interdependence isn't just a 5 syllable word.

• How reactive do you get around people that would be classified as "woke" or as "social justice warriors"? Have you actually done the work of bridging your contemplative practice with the world?

I spent years keeping a distance from social activists & social activism, because it seemed too darn messy. Over time, I've more & more accepted that life is inherently messy, and that there's no avoiding that. I learned this by looking inward. Turns out you learn it by looking outward to, since both directions lead to reality.

Here's the flash point:

‣ Never have I ever had an opportunity to lose so many old friends and gain so many new ones in such a short period of time.

‣ Never have I ever been able to see so clearly who in my world are really living their talk, and who are spiritual posers.

‣ Never have I ever been able to speak my truth so clearly, in spite of the fear, as when I do, for the behalf of others.

So...

❥ Look for the people who don't compromise their core values in order to fit in.

❥ Look for the people who are willing to lose everything, if it means standing for what's good, true, & beautiful.

❥ Look for people who have a healthy sense of humility, but who don't let that fester into perpetual self-doubt and paralysis.

These are the folks you'll be able to count on as shit continues to hit the fan. These are the folks who'll be most responsible for building the next world, together.