Reweaving Culture

Photo by: Hannah Busing, Unsplash

A few days ago, I was listening to The New York Times Daily podcast. It featured the stories of two black women who got pregnant at 16 and highlighted how their experiences led them to be on opposite sides of the abortion issue in the United States. As I listened I was struck by how traumatic both stories were for these young girls. One felt the only choice available to her was becoming a teen mother and raising a child in poverty, just as her mother had done. The other felt rushed into an abortion by her mother. Neither was fully informed or supported in making a truly conscious choice. The podcast spurred so many thoughts for me, and the one I want to explore in this post today, is a growing curiosity about how we can approach issues like abortion without taking sides. 

What I heard in both stories was a desperate need for more support in the form of more information and open dialogue, and also more resources to support their choice once it was made. What would a society look like that was truly supportive of the needs of women and babies? 

This question led to so many more questions in my mind. 

How can we provide information and support to our children so that fewer of them end up pregnant when they are not ready to bring a baby into the world? 

Can we make supporting parents and children enough of a priority that no one has to raise a child in poverty? 

Can we imagine a dialogue about how we can support the rights of an unborn fetus while also respecting the rights of the pregnant woman? 

And what about the rights of all the other beings on this earth who are affected by the overpopulation of humans? How do they figure into this conversation? 

And does the planet as a whole have rights? 

Is there a different way to frame this conversation that isn’t about rights at all, but gets even more to the heart of things?

Maybe if, instead of arguing about whether abortion is right or wrong, we dive into creative discussions these kinds of questions new solutions will emerge that we haven’t even conceived of yet. This time last year, I was doing some work to learn more about anti-racism with Aaron Johnson of Holistic Resistance. One of the core teachings from that organization that really stuck with me is this idea of reaching for each other. The idea is to reach across perceived barriers to find common ground and form heart connections with one another. As we reach for these kinds of connections and pool our creativity, I think much more will become possible.

As I was walking home from the beach with a friend last night she was telling me about a family in her neighborhood that she is guessing has different political views from the ones she holds. She said whenever she meets them on the street she makes a conscious effort to connect with them, even if it is just by smiling and waving. Perhaps this is how the reweaving of our culture can begin, with simple gestures of love and care regardless of our perceived differences. As we step onto the trail of beauty, let’s make a conscious effort to express care for one another, the earth and the other beings on the earth. Let’s  build creative relationships that lead to truly life affirming, supportive ways of being together on this beautiful planet!

Let’s talk in the comments below if this post inspires any thoughts for you. I’m excited to engage in dialogue!