Be Woke

“Be woke!” Be what???

It’s slang that is meant to be blunt and honest. Our kids today are telling each other – and the rest of us – that now is the time, more than ever before, to be aware and informed about important issues facing a community and our world. In other words, know more about what is going on because you may be required to step up and act. So be smart. And be prepared.

Don’t react to turmoil and chaos and manipulative theories. That gets dangerously close to being mindless. But don’t be passive either: Do respond to unfair and unjust issues with deeper knowledge, unconditional respect, universal equity. That’s woke.

One of the descriptions of “woke” is having a decent, righteous conscience and acting on it. Ooooh. Think about that – it comes close to that question we asked last month as a personal litmus test for thoughts and deeds, Is it noble?

In a recent article in The Guardian (UK) on the “kindness movement” and its impact in the UK, the writer describes how people responded to massive homelessness in various cities with scarves and coats tied around trees. Did it eliminate homelessness? No, but it did bring an increased awareness of the widespread problem and sustained the homeless in practical ways while long-term solutions got underway.

Having an enlightened consciousness is the first call to action then. The Guardian article identifies individuals who are lit from within as heroes:

“To be a hero today is simply to be a person who leans into the vulnerability that comes with seeing other people’s problems…Being a hero today is to not look away.”

Be a hero today. Be woke!