The Revolution is in the Every Day

Recently, the Bemidji Pioneer published an article about St. Bart’s Church and their partnership with a kindergarten in my village. The article references Professor Joel Ngugi, who is one of the great teachers of my life. His wisdom is great, yet what part of what makes him a great teacher is also how he expresses and allows the limits of being human. Through his guidance, a group of his students formed the Kenya Human Rights Group. Professor Ngugi had some favorite sayings which we learned a lot from; among them:

- “The personal is professional.”

- “I can only join you in the mat you are lying on, and stare up at the stars in the sky with you and wonder if the stellar constellation above is a cryptic spelling for “HOPE.”

- He urged us to avoid the “anxiety of implementation” – meaning not to let the complexity of human rights work deter us from doing ANY work whatsoever

- “Embrace the complexity.”

Perhaps one of my favorite Ngugi quotes was “The revolution is in the every day.” He told us about this idea one day in class, admitting that when he was younger, he had waited for the revolution to come. Later, he realized that it may never come, but that the revolution is here amongst us, in our everyday interactions, conversations, decisions, and actions. It is true; the revolution is in the here and now - in every thought, word, action, interaction, choice, plan – in all that we do. Each small though or deed has a ripple effect on the planet – like a drop of water in a still pond extending rings far beyond itself. We all have a big impact on our spheres of influence. We should not underestimate the power of this.

We are also not safe in our silence. And as Oriah Maintains Dreamer states in her book The Invitation, “there are choices we must make…yet if we can be still enough with what is, we can find the place Native Americans call Chui-ta-ka-ma, the place of choiceless awareness, the place where it is clear which choice is a choice for life, where we can make no other.” These choices are life vs. death, and mean choosing spiritual growth and rebirth vs. stagnation.

These words and mindset may seem foreign; they are foreign to me even as I write them. It is easy to assume this dreamy stance in a quiet, remote African village. Conversely, I easily remember the hectic pace of life in the U.S.. Contemplating these two very different worlds, I consider the challenge before us: to remember the concept of Chui-ta-ka-ma, to be true to ourselves, to work for today’s simple evolution, even amongst our insurmountable “to-do” lists, pressures, worries, and humanity. John Heifetz wrote a book called Leadership Without Easy Answers; but perhaps it is the simple act of being human, of finding a gracious way to live and interact, that also does not come with easy answers. But despite all of this, despite the complexity, the challenges, the pain, the difficult and the joy, let us move forward; let us find a way. There is a new Alice Walker quote that I love, “Anything that you love can be saved.” So it is - we love life, we love each other and our communities; thus we can be saved. Thus we can master Chui-ta-ka-ma, this elusive concept.

Here is the article about my PC service: http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/content/bemidji-native-peace-corps-volunteer-africa And Nancy's site: http://socialchangecollaboratory.org/2012/02/23/courage/