Samsara is the continuous cycle of death and rebirth to which life in this world is bound. The United States right now is going through a moment of darkness—of systemic racism, the suppression of the vote, of lingering white supremacy.
As we saw on Wednesday when a violent mob attacked the Capitol in an attempt to delay the election certification, there are people who still cling desperately to the past.
Politicians state this is not America. But this was America—the plain and simple truth. Donald Trump incited the mob to storm the U.S. Capitol because he and his followers would not accept the results of a free and fair election. The insurrectionists looted, vandalized, and threatened members of the United States government. They threatened the certification of the election. They threatened democracy itself.
Five people are dead.
As a result, only 52 arrests were made in D.C. Wednesday, compared to the thousands of peaceful protesters who were arrested following the murder of George Floyd. The inequity according to skin color is glaring.
At Samsara, we are not afraid to call it what it is: This is a coup. We condemn the actions of the mob. We condemn the politicians who spread disinformation and lies to fuel the fire. And we condemn Trump for enabling hate speech, for making treason permissible, and for striking the spark.
These are not political issues, but those of human rights. Ultimately this is about equality—equality for all people. This is about the right for all people to be heard, to belong, to call America home. This is a value we stand for, and one that was threatened on Wednesday. That’s why we are raising our voices.
We stand by our core value of leveraging our privilege to do good in the world. We stand for the planet. We champion society’s underdogs, refugees, and people of color especially.
While the events on Wednesday are not surprising, they feel surreal, nonetheless. And yet, there is hope. The state of Georgia and the voter activation movement led by Stacey Abrams has shown us what is possible when we come together. It has shown us the power of black and brown voices, when they can be heard, along with the white allies who support forward momentum. Wednesday’s riot calls for a day of mourning. But tomorrow we take action. We will share our own plan to continue to support those who strengthen democracy and push for social justice.
Rebirth is frightening. For us to be reborn as a country united, we must first witness the death of old ideals. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But what we do know is that change is coming—and we’re not turning back.
Lead image: ElevenPhotographs/Unsplash.
