I give you my heart, body and soul

I have been thinking a lot lately about love, specifically love for community. If there is one thing I am sure of, it is the fact that I will sacrifice and struggle for the rest of my life to try and make this world a better place. My body will know no other work than work for others. I know without hesitation that I can make changes albeit small, but lasting changes to this world. I do this because I love my community. I was raised to believe that we are on this earth to help each other, we exist as a unit not as individuals. If our community is suffering and we have the means to help we must.

because for me these things are TRUE:

I know that inequality is not a permanent reality of human society, it is rather a created and ingrained system set up to maintain the power of a few.

I know that inherently the vast majority of people are good, that all of us need love, security, purpose, food, water and shelter.

I know that by maintaining inequality we are only creating collective suffering. For all we know the person that may cure cancer, be the most brilliant leader, or the creator of the most beautiful art this world has ever seen- is instead suffering to survive. Is working so hard that they can barely think of anything beyond how they will find their next meal, or how they will clothe their children.

I know that the struggle to create a better world is all of our responsibility.

I feel this responsibility deep in my soul. I often feel that my life is not solely for my living, but rather that I live for my community. I do not feel this weight on my shoulders to be oppressive but to be uplifting. I can feel the strength of my ancestors guiding me. I feel this so strongly that the mention of accepting oppression, accepting inequality when I was young would send me to immediate tears, and as I got older to immediate fury.

This is what I struggle with now. This fury. On the one hand it is a burning fire, a passion, that drives me to continue. A fury grounded in my immense love for my community. Out of a need to protect, and defend against what I perceive to be an attack on our humanity. But it perplexes me how fury comes from love.

I do not believe we can build a new and better society from changes created out of anger. But as Frantz Fanon says Decolonization is violent. And we must decolonize ourselves and our society to achieve equity and equality. But violent struggle often brings about a violent society, so how do we stop that? How do we decolonize with love?