Hate and Violence

I wanted to write this morning about a difficult subject: difference, othering, hate, and violence that can permeate our society. I’ve been moved to action because of the light shown on recent Asian American hate and persecution. Yet there’s something even more here: hate

I found this after talking with some of the members of the Berkeley Zen Center, and I’m so grateful to get this resource really fast this morning. I remember this from childhood, but I haven’t seen much emphasis on this in my education after this. This is critical viewing about hate and violence and how it can reach us all. Wishing everyone a peaceful moring this morning, but please give your time this morning to this documentary. I think it’s important.

I was absolutely shocked and horrified about the recent hate crimes and outright killings of Asian Americans documented here in the New York Times. I’m trying to get a variety of resources for anti Asian hate in the United States, and all over the world. But I do want to call upon something that’s growing me. All hate is frightening. What is this? It’s St. Patricks Day, and the discrimination and hate toward the Irish American community also has a long standing violence. We shouldn’t forget this.

This post, like all posts, is changable, but I wanted to speak of this first thing this morning. I’ll be adding to this today. All I want to do is be a force for good, and I’m accepting that reality into my own. Peace to all this morning. So far, this looks like the best site to learn more about Asian American violence, and I’ll be thinking and researching about stopping hate this week.

So far, after a round of research, gratefully through the community, I’ve found the following resources for a longer piece I will be combining all of my recent posts for in the coming days, but since this is such an important moment. I’m sharing my resources here. The Atlantic has a piece on the subject here. And the Berkeley Zen Center is adressing the problem directly. So grateful for their work, and I’ve been made aware of the work of a few research books I’ll be looking at this week. I think we can find hope, but only if we look at this head on. The violence around the world in othering is terrifying, but with a little work, maybe we can make a better world in the future.