Why they matter and why being silent is also ok
Photo Credit: @bobbysud on Instagram
Dear Friend,
So I’ve been thinking
Long and hard
About whether or not
To speak on this
And about the push back
I might get
From various groups
And people
But to honor my path
And my personal agreement
With God
Which is to always act
In alignment with the highest version
Of myself
— even when it’s uncomfortable —
I feel the need to speak on it
Actually
There are two things
I really feel the need
To address
This week
Especially in light of
Everything that’s going on
In the world at the moment
The first:
Whether or not it’s ok
To stay silent right now
And the second:
Whether the phrase All Lives Matter
Is an acceptable response
To the phrase Black Lives Matter
As I break down my thoughts
On each of these
It may seem like
I’m on two different sides
Of the issue
And that’s part of why
I was initially hesitant
To speak on it
So all I ask
Is that you hear me out
Before drawing your conclusions
So the first issue:
Do I feel it’s ok to stay silent right now?
Yes — not only do I feel it’s ok
But in some cases, I would actually prefer
People stay silent
Specifically I’m referring to people
Who are not — for one reason or other —
Speaking out
About the murder
Of George Floyd
As someone who works 1:1
With some of the biggest
Influencers, athletes
And thought leaders
In the world
I can tell you for certain
That silence is not always
A sign of apathy
In fact, I’ve been having
Some of the most difficult
And meaningful conversations
Of my life this past week
Some people — both black
and white — aren’t ready
To come out and speak about
What’s happening yet
Because they’re still processing
Their feelings
Others feel like they need
To stay silent and LISTEN
So they can fully appreciate
What’s going on
And THEN speak out
And that’s a distinction I feel
It’s important to make
Everyone’s timeline is different
Personally, I would much rather
People actually be IN
Their authentic feelings
Truly listening to others
With an open mind and heart
I would much rather people LISTEN
While going through an authentic process
Of deep awakening & internal change
Than to jump on social media and speak
Just for the sake of speaking
Or, even worse, to say something
That isn’t really heartfelt
We can all see through it
When someone is just giving lip service
To a certain issue
But doesn’t really FEEL
The emotional resonance
Of their own words
I don’t know about you
But to me it’s clear as day
When someone is simply speaking
Out of fear or a sense of obligation
And quite honestly
It’s painful to listen to
I think it’s also worth saying
Some people don’t know
WHAT they feel
And if they do know
They don’t know HOW
To actually speak on it
Or maybe they’re just not ready to
Which makes all the people online
Telling people that they have to speak up
That they’re being put “on notice” if they don’t
Similar to the people trying to tell everyone
The “right way” to protest
Fundamentally
It’s all a form of bullying
And it’s a problem
No matter who’s doing it
Ok - now onto the second issue:
Is it ok to say All Lives Matter
When someone says Black Lives Matter
In my opinion
Absolutely not
It’s not only not ok
But it’s hugely dismissive, minimizing
And — I don’t love to use this word —
Ignorant
I especially wanna say this
To my beloved vegan community
Because I know many of you
Personally
And I know most of you
Would never intentionally
Minimize the pain of any group
But please know that
When you say all lives matter
You are acting no better
Than that person in your comments section
Shouting things like “don’t you care about people”
When you try to bring to their attention
The issue of animal suffering
Cruelty and slaughter
Point being, pain must be witnessed
And fully acknowledged
Before it can be healed
Lastly
It’s important to remember
That when someone says
Black Lives Matter
They’re not actually
Taking anything away
From you
Or from any other cause
Or movement for that matter
On the contrary
When we respond with
All Lives Matter
We ARE attempting
— however unconsciously —
to overlook and bypass
Legitimate pain and suffering
And very legitimate rage
Not to be confused with violence
Violence is an action
Whereas anger
Is an emotional response
And even though
Anger makes people uncomfortable
It’s not the same as violence
And when it is actually accepted
Without judgment
And without
The need
To water it down
The anger serves
A very important
And very necessary
Purpose
Just as our anger
In the vegan community
Mobilizes action
So it is
In any community
Let’s not forget that
Oppression anywhere
Is oppression everywhere
Joy is our natural state
It’s time for us to remember
To our collective growth,
Tara x
