To Serve Humanity
“The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity” — Leo Tolstoy
This is not the blog post I wanted to publish. I had a draft saved to talk about my experience traveling and teaching this year. I had one I wanted to share about my journey teaching for over a decade. But what I want to share now feels most important at this time. It comes from a collection of online posts, comments, and messages I have shared and exchanged with others in the last three months, or the last 85 days of war from the Israeli government on Palestine.
A good place to begin is to express my position as a pacifist. I believe war and violence are unjustifiable. This doesn’t negate the belief in one’s right to self-denfense nor is it an absolute to refute armed resistance against oppression. Ahimsa (non-violence) is an ongoing practice which I strive to live for. While I have kept my vow of non-violence physically, I know I have fallen short when it comes to verbal and emotion attacks. I am continually calibrating my moral compass to cause less suffering. My desire is to navigate and participate in life in ways that promote well being for all humans and animals.
Heyam Dukham Anagatam - Yoga Sutra 2.16 The suffering which is yet to come can be and shall be avoided.
My Breaking Point
It’s been soul-crushing, gut-wrenching and heart-breaking to witness the atrocities and nonstop massacre carried out by the Israeli governement on the people of Gaza. The average age of those killed in this war is 5 years old. As of this writing over 10,000 children have been killed by the Israeli war. The majority of deaths are of women and children. Nothing can ever justify these statistics. The momentary ceasefire in November was not enough. The genocide of Palestinian people has to stop. The world is watching and waking up. The time is now to end all genocides—this includes the liberation for the people of Congo, Sudan, and Armenia. The liberation for Palestine signifies the end of late stage western colonial settler occupation. To free Palestine is to free all others who are occupied and oppressed.
Artist and musician Roaman singing a song “I’m Too Spiritual About the War” - Instagram @roamanmusic
All Quiet On The Western Front
It’s been deafening to witness the silence in wellness spaces and from yoga teachers, trauma-informed therapists, and the so-called "spiritual healers." As the South African bishop Desmond Tutu said “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” The same folks I saw rise up together and stand strong for Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ communities are remaining quiet or neutral on the innocent civilians dying daily in Gaza from Israel’s relentless bombing.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” –MLK Jr
Even animal rights groups and climate action organizations have not made any statements about the impact this wicked war has had—and continues to have—on animal life and the environment.
A Voice for the Voiceless
I don’t wish to center myself in the stand I’m taking for Palestine. Who am I to chime in on this genocide I am witnessing through my device? I’m a yoga practitioner and movement enthusiast living in the comfort of my privileged life. The least I can do is use my platform online to amplify the voice of the voiceless and share their demands for liberation. Here is a message from the Palestinian Youth Movement: Beyond Ceasefire
1️⃣ Lift the siege on Gaza now. For 17 years the Zionist regime has imposed a blockade on Gaza by land, sea and air. The Zionist state controls how much food and medicine enters Gaza, controls Gaza’s access to fuel and electricity, and controls who can leave and enter Gaza.
2️⃣ Release all Palestinian prisoners. Imprisonment is a tool of social control wielded by the zionist entity to punish those who resist, to break apart families and social fabric, and to collectively punish Palestinians. There are thousands of Palestinian prisoners, including over two thousand held without charge or trial. Prisoners are routinely tortured and denied medical care and family visits.
3️⃣ End the occupation now. Palestinians have experienced 75 years of settler colonialism and military occupation the violence we are seeing in Gaza today is a continuation of cumulative violence that has been ongoing for over 75 years. Palestinians from the river to the sea suffer under Zionist occupation and it must end.
4️⃣ End western complicity in Zionism. Every year, Western governments like the US, Canada, and Britain write blank checks to fund Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people. The weapons being used to perpetrate war crimes against Palestinians are manufactured using our own taxpayer dollars.
If You Don’t Stand for Something, You’ll Fall for Anything
When we choose to take a stand and lend our voices to one cause, we often neglect others. Like many, I am guilty of this selective outrage. Last year there was a collective uproar surrounding the war in Ukraine which masked the conflict and war in Syria. There’s been a genocide warning for Azerbaijan's planned invasion of Armenia. In October, the Pakistani government mandated that 1.7 million Afghan refugees return to Afghanistan. There are many atrocities happening at once. As journalists or news reporters focus on one story at a time, one doesn’t have the bandwidth to protest for it all. Even then, we select to voice with what we feel called for. To not speak on every cause doesn’t equate to ignorance or lack of virtue.
Further more, it’s just as important to criticize United States government’s unequivocal support for Israel. Here in the U.S. we don’t have funding for universal healthcare, student debt relief, and veteran support. Yet, somehow there are abundant sums of money funded by the American tax-payer money to pay for military aid to Israel.
“USA committed over $3.3 billion in foreign assistance to Israel in 2022, the most recent year for which data exists. About $8.8 million of that went toward the country's economy, while 99.7% of the aid went to the Israeli military. Adjusting for inflation, US aid to Israel from 1951 to 2022 totaled $317.9 billion, making it the largest recipient of American foreign aid since World War II”. [ source: USAFacts.org].
AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), one of the most influential pro-Israel lobbying groups in Washington, campaigns for U.S. lawmakers to bolster security assistance to Israel. AIPAC attempted to offer $20M to a senate candidate to run against Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first woman of Palestinian descent in congress. [source: TruthOut.org]
Jewish Voice For Peace
The government of Israel declares itself to be the representative of all Jewish people around the world. It insists that to criticize the actions of the Israeli government is to attack the Jewish people, to engage in antisemitism. This is not the case. Criticism of Israeli military’s human rights violation is not antisemitic. Just as criticism of Saudi government’s violations is not Islamophobic. Criticisms of Myanmar government’s violations is not anti-Buddhist. Criticisms of Indian government’s violations is not anti-Hindu.
Over the past few months I have gained even more respect for all of the Jewish voices taking a stand and showing solidarity for the people of Palestine. I continue to learn more about the Zionist project and the indoctrination of Zionist ideology given to Israeli youth from a very early age. This was well documented in an eye-opening documentary that was released this year called Israelism. I highly recommend watching it.
Anti-Zionism is not Antisemitism
Avi Shlaim, Jewish professor and historian on Zionism
It’s clear now that the distinction between Judaism, a religion practiced by Jews across the world, is not the same thing as Zionism. The former is a practice of faith, while the latter is a political movement that has resulted in the establishment and development of the state of Israel as a Jewish homeland.
When Avi Shlaim, an Israeli-British historian and professor, was interviewed on this subject he responded: “Zionism is racism. Israel cannot be both. Israel is either a racist Jewish state or it's a democratic state for everybody. I'd like a democratic solution, one state, with equal rights for all its inhabitants. Human Rights Watch issued a report about Israel and the conclusion was: it is an apartheid state. And there are four major human rights groups who reached the same conclusion: Israel is an apartheid state. So, apartheid is racism. Apartheid is discrimination. Israel is the only member of the United Nations that I know, which is officially racist.
Anti-Zionism is deliberately conflated with antisemitism to suppress legitimate criticisms of Israeli policies. Israeli propagandists deliberately, yes deliberately, conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism in order to discredit, bully, and muzzle critics of Israel.”
The Right to Exist and the Right To Return
Rolla Selbak, a Palestinian filmmaker and storyteller.
In conversations online and in person it’s common to hear someone ask, “do you believe Israel has the right to exist?” My answer is yes. Everyone has the right to exist. However, no one has the right to suppress another population’s existence to secure their own. No one has the right to occupy another person’s land with illegal settlements. Israeli government has a blockade around the Gaza strip and controls the food and medicine that goes in and out. They also have control over water and electricity in Gaza. They control Gaza’s fishing zone, which limits up the distance local fisherman can travel, thus limiting their way of earning a living. They have endless checkpoints for Palestinians to pass through occupied territories in the West Bank, and they continue to build illegal settlements there while pushing out the indigenous population.
If someone of Jewish heritage from California wants to take a “birth right” visit to Israel, not only can they do so with ease but they can also apply for and be granted a dual-citizenship with Israel. Palestinians born in their own homeland don’t share the same rights as Israelis inhabiting among them. According to the 1980 amendment to Israel's Nationality Law, Palestinians are strictly legal citizens of the State of Israel. They have "passport citizenship" rights, but are excluded from several aspects of the Jewish welfare state and are therefore denied equal "democratic citizenship". Many Palestinians refugees don’t have the right to return home once they have left their country.
A War on Children
Video of kids in Gaza learning break dance moves as a form of movement therapy
Children make up half of Gaza’s population. Nearly half of them are under 18. The Israeli military has killed over 10,000 children in less than three months. "An average of 160 children are killed every day based on the figures of the (Palestinian) Ministry of Health," WHO official Christian Lindmeier told a UN briefing in Geneva.
Children of Gaza deserve freedom and safety to feel the joy of movement and play just like any other kid in the world.
“Israel is the only country in the world that tries children in military courts, often denying them their basic rights. The Israeli army has imprisoned more than 12,000 Palestinian children since 2000. Most of these children were charged with “throwing stones”, a crime punishable under military law by up to 20 years in prison. Currently, 160 Palestinian children remain in Israeli prisons, most are in pre-trial detention and have not been convicted of any offence.” [source Aljazeera]
Artwork by Said Hasaan
The latest death toll of this war stands at 21,823 Palestinians and about 1,139 people killed in Israel since October 7th.
Israel war death toll of Gazans from October 21 to December 21, 2023. For more current updates follow Al Jazeera live tracker
Grief Cannot Be Weaponized
For anyone reading this and wondering through why I have not made any mention of October 7th, know that I have not forgotten. I was heartbroken to learn about the Hamas attack that killed over 1200 innocent Israeli civilians . No one deserves to experience that kind of terror. I condemn the atrocities committed by Hamas. They should be tried for all your war crimes.
Israeli government’s response to the attack which has killed over 20,000 innocent Palestinians and displaced almost 2 million people cannot justify “self defense.” Grief cannot be weaponized. Revenge in form a genocide is not the answer nor any solution towards peace. Genocide is the gravest of crimes under international law as defined by the international Genocide Convention (1948). [source Center for Constitutional Rights]. Israel and its supporters must be convicted of all their war crimes.
There is nothing symmetrical in this war. It’s one regime supported and funded by the USA against a population who are fleeing for there lives and no where to go. “By ordering families to move, Israel is not ensuring that they survive, but merely giving them the option to die another way, elsewhere.” [source Aljazeera]
Losing Is Winning
I lost over 600 followers in the last month. I have received heat and hate from people who support Israeli government’s genocide of Palestinians. It doesn’t bother me. It’s not about followers. It’s about genuine support. If people only support me for my handstands and “heart openers” but then turn a blind eye to my heart opening for humanity, then I wish them farewell and send them peace. The heart of the practice to cultivate quietude within doesn’t equate to escape the suffering of the outer world. This practice includes embracing challenges, not bypassing darkness, and acknowledging injustices without evasion.
Moving forward, I wish to do business with those who not only support my teaching but also are aligned with my heart for humanity. To me, there is nothing brave or radical in standing up for humanity. It isn't being an activist. It's simply the right thing to do. I encourage others to look into their heart and conscience and do the right thing. Stand with the people of Palestine.
“We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
― Nelson Mandela
Resourceful Accounts and Organizations to Follow
👁️ Eye On Palestine 👁️
Gaza Journalists:
🔻Motaz Azaiza
🔻Bisan
🔻Hind Khoudary
🔻Wael Al Dahdouh
Palestinians of diaspora:
🍉 Anat.international
🍉 ByPlestia
🍉 Sbeih.jpg
🍉 Lanzybear
🍉 Gazangirl
✊🏽 Ahmed Eldin
✊🏽 Amanda Seales
✊🏽 Jesse Mechanic
✊🏽 Jackson Hinklle
✊🏽 Guy Christensen
✡️ Miko Peled
✡️ Norman Finklestein
✡️ Gideon Levy
Break The Silence - an organization of veteran soldiers who have served in the Israeli military who have taken it upon themselves to expose the public to the reality of everyday life in the occupied territories.
If Not Now Movement - a movement of American Jews organizing to end U.S. support for Israel's apartheid system and demand equality, justice, and a thriving future for all Palestinians and Israelis.
Standing Together - A grassroots Jewish-Arab movement fighting for peace, equality and social justice in Israel/Palestine.
Jewish Voice for Peace - An anti-Zionist Jewish activist organization in the U.S. that supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel.