I wrote this post on the 18th of May, 2020. We were in the middle of the first lockdown in Italy. People were scared and angry. In many conversations, I felt a divide growing between them and the others, whoever the others were in that moment.
Before leaving to this vintage apple, I’d love to share a short poem written by Luis Valdez in 1973. The poem is inspired by a philosophical concept held by the Mayan people known as In Lak'ech, meaning "you are the other me."
In Lak'ech
Tú eres mi otro yo. / You are my other me.
Si te hago daño a ti, / If I do harm to you,
Me hago daño a mi mismo. / I do harm to myself.
Si te amo y respeto, / If I love and respect you,
Me amo y respeto yo. / I love and respect myself.
One Apple A Day #721 - they are us
An inspiring conversation on a post by my friend Marc Winn sparked some challenging thoughts in my head.
Lately, I hear many people around me talking about "they", the crooked leaders, the controlling organizations and governments who want to dominate "us", the people. But aren't "they" people too? Aren't these organizations made of people? Aren't "they" sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, friends, neighbours of someone like we all are?
Sometimes I feel we talk about leaders as if they are from a different planet.
But they are not.
They are human beings.
They are us too.
And if that's true, when do "they" become something different from "us"?
And then a thought hit me. What if there is no difference? How can I be sure I will behave differently in the sit of one of the leaders we all despise so much?
What if the only difference between me and "them" is that I don't have a position of power in my community?
Talking about "them" instead of us is comforting. It makes us feel that we are not responsible for what's happening. It's all "their" fault.
As Marc wrote in his post, "we are only as strong as our weakest link, and that weakest link could be the perpetual story and belief that there is a 'them and us'. In the end, we are all in this together, and for me, there can only be a sustainable future if we collectively believe and act in that way."
We all have a role to play in creating the future.