Injustices: But What Can I Do?

Mar 2, 20224 min read

In the face of injustice what can one person do?

I’ve been thinking a lot about injustice. The last few months, years really, the world has seen so many injustices. I’m not talking about having to wear masks, follow vaccine mandates or restrictions that keep us protected from a highly contagious virus that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and affected the entire world. I’m talking about injustices, not inconveniences.

Injustice can be deeply personal losses, such as in the loss of a loved one in a tragic fire or accident, destruction of a home, loss of a job, etc.

Injustices can, also, be acts based in hate, racism, xenophobia, sexism and homophobia. These are injustices such as, white nationalists waving confederate flags while storming the White House because they refused to accept the process of democracy, or taking up occupation in Ottawa waving swastikas on Canadian flags for similar reasons. White cops killing black people in record numbers without consequence or being charged. Entitled rich white boys sexually assaulting young women and more people being concerned about ruining that young man's future with jail time how he affected the young woman’s mental health, emotional state and overall quality of life by raping her. The graves of thousands of Indigenous children found at residential schools all over Canada. Canada’s and the US’s use of colonialism, war, and residential schools to eradicate indigenous people in order to steal and exploit the resources of the land they lived on for thousands of years before settlers ever showed up. Hiroshima. The holocaust. Vietnam. The enslavement of African people throughout history. As well as, the continued systemic oppression of black people, indigenous people and people of colour still happening today. The most recent injustice as we are all aware is Russia’s authoritarian leader, Putin, attacking Ukraine for resources, money and power. Potentially, starting world war 3. Furthermore, within that situation, African people living in Ukraine, seeking refuge at the borders are being denied access over white refugees. It’s enough to make your heart ache, your stomach turn, your tears flow and make you hide your head under a pillow for the next decade.

But, we can’t do that because the sad reality is Injustices are a part of our world. Our world is incredibly beautiful and at times incredibly unfair, harmful, destructive and terrifying. Injustices happen time and time again, over and over sometimes without pause. They happen to good people who don’t deserve them. They happen in our lives in small ways, and on large scales such as they have throughout our history and are happening now with Russia invading Ukraine. We as individuals can often feel powerless to stop them. Sometimes we are.

So, how do we reconcile these events and injustices? How do we keep living when we know these things are happening somewhere in the world, in our city, in our community?

We can’t and maybe that’s because we shouldn’t. They are unjust, after all. They require our emotional responses and our capacity to take action against them.

But, what action?

There are some things we can do as individuals.

If the injustices are past injustices that have carried over into modern times we can learn as much as we can about the true histories and the issues, speak out against the continued oppression of people in our world today and use the tools we have to help make change that allows for equality and equanimity.

If the injustices are far beyond our realm of control such as with Ukraine we can help from afar, donate money to organizations helping refugees, attend an anti war rally and help the spread of truthful information.

What else can we do?

Well, we can be the change we wish to see in the world.

How?

One thing we can do is let go of putting our individual gains over the gains of the many. We become community oriented. Because when it comes down to it, ultimately we need others. We can not do everything ourselves and for ourselves. We need our loved ones, we need our families, yes. But we also need so many other people, who do other jobs and have other expertise, opinions and ideas separate from ours. We need a community to thrive in life. We need our small community of friends, coworkers, townspeople, and helpers. We also need our larger community and as citizens of the world.

Next, we can employ more acceptance of the differences of the people who live in this world. others. Our world is amazing and it is full of amazing, beautiful, yet strikingly, different people. Imagine the world if every place, person and thing was like one group of people. Imagine if there were no other cultures other than American. No other languages besides English. No other types of foods other than potatoes and beef. No other celebrations other than Christmas. No different ethnicities, everyone was just the same, exactly alike. That doesn't sound like a place I would want to live. Does it sound like one you would like to live in? And if it does, I implore you to do some inner work and look outside yourself and your own life, to see the beauty in the world in which you live. Because whether you like it or not you are a citizen of the world and one of 8 billion people that reside in it. All worthy of love and acceptance, safety and security for themselves, their families and their children. We cannot heal this world by treating one group of people like they are disposable or less than human, but by seeing them as part of the beautiful tapestry of peoples, cultures, languages, art, religions, and lives that reside in this world. Reach into your heart and see the humanity in every person and keep in touch with that humanity in your own heart, always.

Lastly, we can do our best to be inclusive to all, kind, healthy and live a good, peaceful life that allows for love. Love, not just ourselves, or our families but love of our neighbours. We can work within our community to create more love, understanding and acceptance. We can go home and love our kids. Apologize to our brothers and sisters when we forget they are just human and make mistakes. We can give out love and kindness as much as possible, because right now, that’s what the world needs.

Maybe it will help a little, maybe it’ll just help a lot and maybe in a gentle way we can change the world.