A PASSOVER / EASTER / LIBERATION / SPRINGTIME OFFERING
FROM AND FOR THE CAMEL JOCKEYS AMONG US
“BEHIND PAIN THERE IS LOVE”
For the last 3 decades or so, I’ve been blessed to host or attend Seders co-created at the table (sometimes the couch and/or floor!) by the participants gathered for the annual re-telling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. In the spirit of acknowledging the shared role and value of teachings about liberation in probably every wisdom tradition, people attending these Seders are asked to bring or prepare readings, poetry, songs, stories, meditations, movement and other experiential activities from any tradition to share and to advance the Passover themes of moving from slavery/oppression to ‘freedom from” and ultimately “freedom to,” transitioning energetically from fear to love, bringing light to darkness, and celebrating springtime and renewal.
In preparing my offering for this year’s event, I found myself thinking about how we can hold onto the idea of and manifest happiness, the theme of my New Year’s 2018 focus, while at the same time being painfully aware that in the age of Trumpism we are, as a mid 20s young person trying to find his way starkly described it to me, living in a post dystopian world. How can we find and hold hope for liberation with all the madness, anger and disfunction spinning around us? And with our internal struggles, how do we walk the sometimes fine line between well-being and denial, between healthy optimism and despair. Plus, can we somehow cajole the internal with the external to conspire in ways that will make a difference in both the world and ourselves?
A most poignant teaching appeared out of the blue recently as I was contemplating how to move these issues forward for discussion at the upcoming Seder. I want to share it as my offering here, in advance of the Seder, both because it is electronic and also because it is longer than what I would otherwise contribute.
It is a modern slavery story that shocks the senses, from a surprising source, profoundly sad because it involves children (and boys in particular), but also beautiful in how it unlocks the type of courage, heart, energy, wisdom and love that we all have within us to use towards liberating others, and in so doing, freeing ourselves and being truly happy. Whether it is through this story or the other all too many harrowing slavery practices still existing on the planet, may we all find our way to some of that experience in the coming year.
The story comes from the world of sports. It is a chilling real tale about young boys terribly mistreated after being kidnapped or sold into slavery (and forced to become camel jockeys), and their eventual liberation, made possible by activism and reporting that made middle eastern Sheikhs (the modern day Pharaohs in this retelling) take unexpected corrective action. It is a reminder that we can all, each in our own way, identify and shed light on profound injustice.
At a chance meeting with the chief activist who later returned to view the profound changes, one of the liberated camel jockeys offered this poem of thanks about going from slavery to freedom:
Behind pain there is love
And every dark night has a beautiful morning
It comes morning now
We are happy
Thank you
If you would like to watch the video, you can find it here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CSBo-QcefI. (Consistent with the camel jockey’s poem of thanks, it feels to me like a strangely wonderful companion piece to the much lighter playlist about happiness that I put together at the start of the year, so I’ll share that too. https://www.youtube.com/watch…)
So that is my offering, in advance of the Seder table. I’m hopeful that it spurs on your thinking as you prepare your contributions.
Love and blessings,
Mark
