Each of us is called by name to live life authentically. Mahatma Gandhi proclaims that “truth is God” and invites us all to “experiment with the truth.” His way of life, termed satyagraha calls each of us, by name, to relentlessly pursue the truth in our lives. To do so with openness, authenticity, humility, compassion and love for our sisters and brothers, recognizing the inherent human dignity present, no matter how deeply buried, in the soul and heart of every human being. Each of us has a particular name, given us for a particular purpose. Each of has gifts to share and a story to tell. Each of us has a song to sing. We are invited to listen to the depths of our own heart and soul and to obey the truth we find there. As we do so, we invite collective movement toward deeper truth, justice, liberation and healing in the midst of our broken and fractured world.
How do we begin? The root of the word obey means to hear or listen. We begin by obeying that which is the life force within us; we begin by obeying that deeply human desire to connect, with the deepest longings of our soul and with one another; thus, we begin by obeying, listening to, ‘that still small voice within’; we begin by listening actively and deeply, in silence and stillness, to the longings of our heart; we also begin by listening to others, especially those who suffer violence and oppression and who live on the margins of society; we begin by listening to the stories of people who work for and seek justice and peace; we begin by listening to the stories of people on the margins who long for healing and hope. In order to obey, to listen to, our deepest truth, our deepest self, our deepest desires and longings, we must begin in reverent silence. For only in silence can we hear and listen deeply to the truth that will bring peace, justice, healing transformation and true liberation.
