ravings

Preamble

I read a short story recently, "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™", by Rebecca Roanhorse, that reminded me of a post I started writing a while back but never quite finished. The story stirred similar questions and conflicts to those I was trying to grapple with (about the relationship of white Americans to Native Americans and their religion), so I decided it was time to finally finish it out. One reason I've been hesitant to put it out there is that in the political circles I generally find myself in these days, white guys opining on minority issues can quickly find themselves making a lot of people angry. But as someone trying to be an ally in amplifying marginalized voices, I hope I can be granted patience with any errors in judgment. With that said, I've collected some of my thoughts on interactions between white and Native Americans, particularly as regards Native spirituality, and I thought it might be interesting or useful to some if I made those thoughts public. So here we go.( Read more... )

The whole world is racing in the wrong direction
For everyone is terrified of non-existence.
That is, in reality, the only certain refuge.
How should we try to win real awareness?
By renouncing all-knowing.
How should we look for salvation?
By giving up our personal salvation.
How should we search for real existence?
By giving up our existence.
How should we search for the fruit of the spirit?
By not always greedily stretching out our hands.
(Translation by Andrew Harvey)