LifeSoup by Cherie Dawn Haas

There’s a reason I haven’t posted anything on social media about the January 6 attack on the US capitol, and it’s not because I don’t have strong feelings about it. 

I watched in disbelief and confusion with the rest of our country. I stayed glued to the news for a full week, waiting to see what would happen next. As later footage was revealed, I quietly cried when I saw the American flag being used as a weapon.

I also have strong opinions about what led up the attack. You probably do as well.

For example, just before the 2020 election, I shared a post about how one candidate was emailing his followers to join his “army.” I found the language to be alarming, and tried to warn my friends who were continuing to support him, but it backfired, as every political opinion does on social media. 

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I still haven’t said anything about the attacks because no matter what I say, even if it’s something as simple as “praying for peace,” it can be somehow twisted by others. I am praying for peace, and it’s what we need, and so to hold peace I’ve chosen not to make a Facebook post either way.

For one, it takes more than a few lines to express my thoughts about all of this. Like many, I don’t understand how more didn’t see this violence coming all along – or maybe they did, but were willing to overlook it. 

But this article isn’t about politics as much as it is about the yoga practice of ahimsa, or being non-harming. 

If speaking out against things is going to create arguments and anger among my family and friends, which I’ve seen happen, then for now I’m choosing not to speak at all about it. Instead, I’m listening, and watching, and coming up with ways to actively create peace. I hope that, without me having to post on social media about it, everyone who knows me already knows where I stand on issues surrounding things like human rights and the environment.

Of course, I realize that this very blog is speaking about all of it, but I don’t expect it to get as much of a response because it’s more in-depth than a single sentence on Facebook. I’m sharing it here, now, because maybe it will give others a different way of thinking.

I’m grateful for the people who have a more definitive plan of action and are making a difference in big ways. For me, right now, it’s trying to keep the peace within myself and my family. It’s about intentionally practicing silence when that’s what’s needed.

For years, the political conversation has been very loud. I’m making the choice to try to quiet it down and to get my hands dirty in other ways, such as raising my sons to be good humans, working toward my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training (after which I can continue to teach peace through yoga practices), smiling at strangers, volunteering for important causes, and other ways I can move the needle without inciting an argument.

Peace,
Cherie Dawn

(Featured image shown at top: That’s me, pouring water over hot coals.)

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