The following quote by James Baldwin resonates deeply
with what I have been feeling, but battling to put into words, for a while now.
“What
we call history is perhaps a way of avoiding responsibility for what has
happened…. is happening, in time.”
I agree wholeheartedly with Baldwin that it is time to
consider our involvement in our pasts, the pasts of those who came before us,
and how we are a direct product of all of their doings. We cannot separate
ourselves from the thoughts, words and actions of our forefathers and mothers.
Our ancestry is encoded in our DNA. Whether we like it or not, we are firmly
rooted to the misguided doings of our forefathers.
Our conditioning that is woven through our lineage is
so deep that we subconsciously and instinctively repeat the behaviours of those
who came before us. We act almost robotically, and yet we are not robots. We
are humans with a brain, a heart, emotions and an independent mind.
How long does it take before we question our
upbringings and challenge the way our parents did things? Many of us don’t. We
just blindly follow the blueprint that has been laid down before us for millennia.
And yet, for those of us who challenge our upbringing, we are probably in our
middle to advanced years. The shock of this realization of course is that we’ve
already blindly repeated the mistakes of our forefathers and mothers. We
have robotically thought, spoken and acted in oftentimes the most heartless and
uncompassionate of ways because we have acted without thinking.
It is no longer ok to fool ourselves that we are
separate from our ancestors’ doings. We need to make a stand and take full responsibility
for our lineage.
To put a stop to it, we need to own up to it.
“Of
course we are responsible for the sins of our forefathers. It is our
responsibility to challenge the past and do things differently going forward." - James Baldwin
We cannot pass the blame as we conveniently point the
finger at those who came before us. We each need to take it upon ourselves to accept
accountability for the mistakes made through our bloodline. It’s time we step
aside from our egos and humbly confess our involvement. We need to find it in
our hearts to take ownership for what has been done before us. Each one of us
needs to forgive our ancestors their blind behaviour, forgive ourselves for all our adopted,
conditioned beliefs and we need to ask forgiveness for all the hurtful
atrocities we have inflicted upon one another.
It is time to confess our mistakes. The most healing
thing we can do for the whole of humanity is say we are sorry for the way we
have treated one another, whether in thought, word or deed. Forgiveness
is the only thing that will heal and change our world. Each of us needs to do it individually. We each need
to seek forgiveness from ourselves and from those whose lineages have suffered
as a result of ours.
Take ownership of the families
that suffered the loss of loved ones as a result of all the wars we have waged against one another. Take ownership of slavery and
the abuse and mistreatment of beautiful human souls.
I wish to apologize for all the suffering that my
bloodline and I have incurred on my brothers and sisters through our unconscious behaviour. I apologize for
everything I have done knowingly and unknowingly and I am committed to acting
more responsibly in the future.
Please forgive my forefathers and me. I love you, my soul sibling.
Nicolette
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