In our little village we have a controversy which has made the headlines and letters-to-the-editor section of our weekly paper several weeks in a row: whether or not our little school system should allow inspection by drug-sniffing dogs. Villagers here love to chew on issues of freedom and rights, so this issue is tailor-made for some great debates. From my perspective, though, I see a lot of surface-thinking and not a great deal of understanding of underlying societal and cultural deficits. It can be difficult for people to get beyond what they think they know about issues unless they've been "broken" out of groupthink in some way - such as the grief of a family over a member who's in prison or who has been murdered, for example. In my own case, both my participation in 12 Step programs and my years as an intercultural adoptive parent looking at difficulties caused by culture loss, tell the story of my breakings, and my breakthroughs as well. I offer the text of my own letter-to-the-editor here:
To The Editor, Yellow Springs News:
Underneath every controversy lies a deeper truth, which always includes the hearts of both (or all) sides. In studying the much-publicized "kids vs police/police vs kids" drug dogs scenario, I see three areas of consideration which have not been adequately addressed so far. They are:
- Ignorance of the deeper needs of young people in terms of true initiation into adulthood. Drinking, driving, drugs, and sex do not constitute an initiation - but because our immature nation habitually glosses over deeper things, we leave our young people vulnerable to the glamour of such lies. Those interested in understanding more about initiaton can look into true cultures such as the Navajo ("Changing Woman" ceremony) or the Dagara (Malidoma Some's OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT). We can't hijack another culture's practices and force them to work; but we can stop denying that we're lacking something, and then we can begin to open to positive change. Our young people are precious, and worthy of deeper truth.
- Recognition that there is a great well of culture-loss in our nation of broken cultures, and our society tends to push people onward - to force people to assimilate - without recognizing the need for grief, and the transformative power of grieving. Ungrieved loss of such a treasure as a country, a culture, a language system simply adds to the national depression, and the national habit of "fixing" depression with drugs.
- Understanding that our village's truth challenge is not separate from the cities around us: both the Dayton and Springfield Sunday papers carried headlines of increased heroin addiction this week. Our whole village needs to open to a better understanding of what our police are really facing. How much mob involvement is there here and in our region? And how much fear are our village and regional police dealing with? And how much worry are our school officials carrying? And how much denial do we, as a village, a region, and a nation need to break out of? Denial holds us back. Let's open to the truth so we can grow.
A final note: for those parents, students, and others with questions about addiction and recovery, one avenue for understanding is the 12-step model. [local AA hotline or information number] is the number for information about types of groups, meeting times and locations.
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Comments: 27
Yes, I view this nation and most of us as Shallow Hal. We are collectively about two inches deep most of the time. Parents never pause in their busy-ness to honor the mental ability of their children with some in-depth instruction. It's been in the papers and on news here: the family that talks together, eats meals together, and is open to all topics, does not produce kids that use drugs. Children are self-medicating their pain, and loneliness.
Second, when I was in middle and high school my school came up with a real simple solution as to whether or not to allow raids or searches of lockers, random or otherwise. If we wanted to be allowed to use a locker we had to sign an agreement to allow the school access to that locker at anytime. We didn't have to sign it, but then we weren't issued a locker. People caught "sharing" lockers with someone who had refused to sign the release were automaticly suspended as was the other student. I honestly don't recall anyone ever having their locker searched.
I'm sure it wasn't funny for you - but I hope you write an article or story about this gift.
Leah, thank you. Your visits mean a lot.
Sandy - have you ever tried EFT tapping for a whole group - such as a whole organization, or a school, or even a village?
Elizabeth - honesty- good: now the kind of truth-telling that goes deeper, explores the 3 issues mentioned in the article, and therefore cracks open the shroud of ignorance and denial so the culture-loss can be addressed. When the self-medication is no longer needed, THEN---------
See what I mean?
Thank you for such an interesting, thought-provoking post!
We're mellllltttting.
Melting away from the separation.
Melting away from discrimination.
Melting away from intolerance.
Melting into One humanity.
And so, what is happening is mass confusion. People still want to control other people's creations, and it's a hard struggle, causing much rebellion, and little responsibility. Parents are confused about their role. Police are confused about their role. And children are totally confused about everyone's role, including their own.
Becky - it's something about the magical doors that open during initiation...The doors, but also the guidance of elders who've bloomed themselves.
Alison, thank you.
Jane - 12 Steps is a foundation stone for me.
Karen - truth heals - but it's a matter of finding the particular truth that's the keystone.
Sprinkling a bit of cayenne in every locker will put that little doggy out of work for quite a while.
But no cayenne up the nose.
I'm still bummed at the US Gov for refusing to allow our exiting Viet Nam soldiers to bring their hero dogs home with them. They had to leave the dogs in 'Nam, knowing they'd probably be eaten.
The only one anyone actually trusts to be truthful, trustworthy,and courageous under all circumstances is DOG.
The middle part of all that is where the hearts of cops, users, pushers, dogs, and children are all one.
So if you re-read what I've written above, you'll find a deepening place with maybe some entry-ways into that ONE heart place.
In the meantime, for me, as a shamanic healer who's also been in relationship with a serious addict, which miserable relationship finally pushed me into Alanon and other 12-Step work - which became the solid grounding for my healing practice (serenity, healthy detatchment, truth as a healer, etc) -
I understand the healing value of certain plants which are used in a dishonorable and disrespectfully shallow way as "recreational drugs."
Then there are human-created really destructive "recreational drugs."
I'm all for the medicinals, and for the honoring ceremonies that should accompany their use.
I'm disgusted with things like crystal meth labs etc etc etc etc etc. What does THAT have to do with love, laughter, truth, beauty, wholeness?
But it just may have a lot to do with what I've written about in the article: repressed grief, undealt-with or unacknowledged culture-loss.....A society that's just unable to mature, and therefore unable to properly initiate its young into adulthood....A society of adult children, using and pushing and using and pushing.
//I understand the healing value of certain plants (which are often, in the USA, used in a dishonorable and disrespectfully shallow way as "recreational drugs." )
And then there are human-created really destructive "recreational drugs" like crystal meth, etc.
I'm all for the medicinal plants, and for the honoring ceremonies that should accompany their use.
I think that we teachers tend to think it's all about money, but it is so much deeper than that. In fact, the more I ponder this, the more I realize that there is an enormous vein here that could be mined in order to help communities more fully support their schools financially. I mentioned some months ago that I felt myself heading into conflict here, and it's as a member of our salary committee where teachers need to receive some benefit but there is not likely to be any money available. I would be grateful for some help to pursue this farther, especially in the form of a joint posting, if you'd be interested in that.