Keeping up hope in humanity

I hadn’t intended to write about the recent terror attacks in Beirut and in Paris, nor about the way we in the West have reacted to the Paris attacks above and beyond those in Beirut and beyond. I hadn’t intended to write about the burning of mosques by people who don’t distinguish between the beauty of Islam and the horror of Daesh. Nor had I intended to write about the anti-racist student protests at the University of Missouri, which successfully demanded the ouster of Mizzou president Tim Wolfe — but only after the football team joined in, threatening the lucrative athletic program. Nor about the protests at Ohio State, where I work, which had a much better outcome, but also provoked a disgusting barrage of anonymous, racist hate speech on social media.

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Joy in protest: #OSU #Ferguson

Druidry, for me, can never just be about trees. My Druidry can never just be about the self, about the individual’s relationship with her gods, his ancestors, the land around them. For me, to talk about these all these worthy subjects, to make offerings and prayers and care for the land and its creatures… if we are not also caring for our brothers and sisters of humanity, we might as well pack it all in and go home, because that negligence renders everything else meaningless.