On the recent passage of Bill 21 in Quebec: "Put simply, expressions of Muslim identity are portrayed as a threat to security in Western societies, including Canada. Such Islamophobic overtures have been catapulted into the public discourse in recent years with the mainstreaming of right-wing political ideas that rest on the demonization of Muslims. As political leaders verbalize (unfounded) anxiety around cultural and political assertions by Canadian Muslims, the community continues to experience elevated levels of anti-Muslim hate and violence. The Quebec City mosque shooting is among the deadliest incidences of domestic terrorism in Canada. Hate crime statistics between 2016 and 2017 indicate a 151% increase in hate crimes targeting Muslims.
What can normal ordinary people do who are concerned about the degradation in our society - the trickle-down of contempt for life, expressed by an elite who would do anything to interrupt the democratic process of progress, and shut down the voice of common decency, empathy and compassion for our fellow beings.
The only sign that there is any hope is expressed by kindness. Our own mental health is dependant on this.
From Science and Nonduality newsletter:
"I know that a new and kinder day will come," Etty wrote, "And I would so much like to live on, if only to express all the love I carry within me. And there is only one way of preparing the new age, by living it even now in our hearts." Her unusual conviction to not only embrace the suffering given her, and stand in solidarity with the suffering of her people, but to continuously praise life and express the love flooding her being to become “the thinking heart of the concentration camp,” offers us too a model of shaping our own age as the thinking hearts of our time, no matter the crisis we face.
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