Dear friend,

I wonder how your heart is?

After this past week’s events, my heart feels raw. So raw, that it’s hard to find words to express all that I feel and long for.

I feel a sea of collective anguish, grief, outrage and pain—along with so many other emotions—swirling just below the surface. I look at the news, talk to a friend, and it wells up inside.

We are living through history.

As the brutality of anti-black violence tears through consciousness, tens of thousands of people around the world are pouring into the streets, demanding justice and an end to the cruelty of racism and white-supremacy.

I believe our society is at a critical inflection point. We may have the chance to finally awaken from the collective nightmare of centuries of oppression. Where do we go from here?

The future is not written.

What we each say and do will determine whether or not this outrcry gathers momentum into a global civil rights movement, or slowly fades. The Buddha taught that the only thing we own in this life are our actions; everything else is borrowed.

Neutrality in the face of oppression is complicity. Silence in the midst of abuse is consent.

If we’re not making changes, then we’re choosing the status quo. If you haven't already been involved in the fight for racial justice, it’s only natural to ask oneself, “What’s my role here?”

Listen deeply, honor what you hear and then, whatever you do, do it whole-heartedly.

Stay connected to your goodness and let the strength of your love animate what you do—whether you march in the streets, contact officials, teach children, talk to neighbors, donate, or volunteer...

I hope these words offer you some encouragement during this time of great upheaval.

In kindness and solidarity,

Oren

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