Social Justice

Posted on 01. Oct, 2007 by Susan Wright in Life Coaching

I was completely saddened by the news of the Burmese military attacking against the Burmese and Buddist monk demonstrators. Being Canadian born I have no real sense of what it is like to grow up and live under a dictatorship let alone rise against it. However, I know what I feel and that is enough for me to start to ask questions, probe this further and consider some reasonable course of action. With so many issues infiltrating our awareness both locally, nationally and internationally it’s easy to feel “numb” to it all. But, bottom line when an issue strongly conflicts with my values then I can no longer feel “numb” or deny what is happening. What I connect most with around this situation in Burma, is the ply of a “disadvantaged or marginalized” group of citizens, who have not used violence as a means for attention. Rather they walk in peace for democracy, for just cause.

In the span of one week, I have attended a symposium about “Changing the Dream” of the modern world in search for a sustainable way of living, developed by The Pachamama Alliance www.pachamama.org, attended a 3 day intensive course about public health, read news about Afghanistan and the torture of a young woman in Nova Scotia (who has survived) and admittedly feel a great sense of urgency about the consciousness of our humanity and the health of our communities.

So what course of action can I take? Well I’m not entirely sure. But I’ll start by expressing my concern, sending out any relevant info/links I come across and regard my own deep sense of empathy for social injustice.

Here’s a link if you are interested in signing a petition about the situation in Burma: www.Avaaz.org