Self-Reflection on Injustice

In my previous article, 7 Powerhouse Women Who Will Inspire You to Rise,I quote seven Black women who I look up to. Today, I will use a quote from Lena Horne, “It’s not the size of the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it. Carry it by the comfortable handles of gratitude for what’s positive and that it’s not worse, rather than the uncomfortable edge of bitterness for the negatives and that it is not better”. She was born in 1917 on a cotton farm in Georgia so her analogy was literal on some level. Think about how that is pertinent to what’s happening now. All the killings, economic injustices.

But by choosing gratitude over all else, she rose above her situation. This reminds me of my own life. About 20 years ago, I became Muslim 2 months before September 11th. While I was on a spiritual high, I have been going through what everyone now is experiencing now for 20 years. So each day I chose to slow down each interaction and carefully selected my energy and how I showed up. When you carry the vibration of love which is the highest vibration, it’s hard for someone to misbehave with you. For example, if you smile at someone, it takes an especially miserable person to not smile back. Be curious about the aggressor. Anger and fear are two sides of the same coin. People hate something they fear and fear something they hate.