On The Passing Of John Lewis

"Let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide" ~ Rep John Lewis





It is not that often that we find ourselves in a period of history where a confluence of factors so powerful are at work that they can change the course of history. Today, the perfect storm of COVID-19, The rise of authoritarianism and BLM have created a certain kind of crucible. We will either come out of this period whole or fractured ... and the outcome depends on what we do. What John Lewis called "good trouble."

I've been thinking about this since John Lewis passed away. Thinking if I have been in enough "good trouble." Thinking what other kinds of "good trouble" I might get into. Lewis was jailed 40 times. I was only jailed once. Have I done enough?

"Enough" seems like a loaded word. What is enough? Who gets to say what's enough? Is enough based on what is convenient for me or what is required to bring about social justice? There is a part of me that wants to kick back, put up my feet and say "I've done my part, let someone else take up the cause" and when I hear myself think those words it definitely sounds like not enough.

The internal place of that motivation though cannot be from lack or obligation. If John Lewis speaks to me -- what rings true is that the inner spring of motivation to bring about change has to be love and peace if it is to succeed. A deeply centered spiritual place.

So I look deeply within and I have to ask myself the tough questions:

• Am I truly motivated from love and peace to want to bring about a more equal and just society?
• How much of my own upset is the cause of my motivation?
  • What expectations remain unfulfilled?
  • What intentions have been thwarted?
  • What needs saying that remains unsaid or unheard?
• What would my peace witness look like if I let go of the anger? (yes, there is still some lurking in there)

John Lewis allowed his spirituality to lead his civil rights action and his time in Congress. His guiding principle was "if you see something that is not right, do something."

There is much to see and much to do. Let us seek the clearness to discern what "good trouble" is for each of us.

Joseph Olejak