DHARMA SPRING

Radical Inclusivity, Fierce Acceptance

July 03, 2020 Andrew Palmer
DHARMA SPRING
Radical Inclusivity, Fierce Acceptance
Show Notes

A little while back there was a request that I talk about acceptance and activism, the requester speaking from the common position that the two are in opposition to each other. This is because of the connotation that acceptance means something is okay, alright, copacetic just as it is. However, taking it on a basic level, acceptance simply means allowing that something is, that things are the way they are at present and they are here, no qualifiers of "good," "bad," or anything else added in. This allowing is a way of freeing up one's energy from struggling against, denying, or even justifying and fortifying the reality of the existence of something, allowing space for it to be more fully and clearly what it is. And this is a crucial first step in activism: it allows one to more fully see and acknowledge what is, to more clearly notice how its being affects the being of other things, and then to respond more fully, directly and in appropriate measure. In other words, it's about meeting, engaging, challenging and transforming the things we encounter within and around us, as we continually co-create, nourish, and endeavor to maintain a healthy and vibrant ecology of existence throughout the vast landscape of the ten thousand things.

So, acceptance and activism? Yes, please!

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