Ravideep

You, the community.

When we speak about community, we often negate the fact that we are also talking about ourselves. Us as  individuals, as part of family units, as activists, leaders, parents, teachers and lifelong students.

We all come to this space with our own unique lineages, stories, experiences, apprehensions and skillsets.

I wanted this short piece to reflect that and remind others that being part of change can often be found in  the smallest of steps.

Whether we realise it or not, we all (can) play crucial roles in disrupting and developing new and innovative  ways of being in the world and ultimately with each other.

The Oxford Dictionary offers two definitions for change:

verb

1. Make (someone or something) different; alter or modify.

2. Replace (something) with something else, especially something of the same kind that is newer or  better; substitute one thing for (another).

Even when we have these ‘clear’ definitions there are opportunities and invitations to widen our  understanding of them.

Of course, definitions are helpful, they give us a starting point but I would like us to delve a little deeper  and dig a little further as definitions have also been formed from a mainstream point of view – one lens, one  perspective.

I want us to normalise widening that net, to see who else is remaining, who else we need, who else may  need us, to truly make this notion of collective community more inclusive, rich, diverse and disruptive.

For example, ‘to alter or modify’ or ‘to make something better’ will be different for me than it will be for you  and this will be dependent on our perceived identities and positionalities in society.

And I get it, it feels like a mammoth task to change everything to suit everyone…but can we start to look at  things a bit differently?

It has been well documented that if the most vulnerable in society are taken care of then everyone else will  automatically be cared for as resources will be distributed equitably so that everyone gets what they need.

And I believe that even on the smallest scale we can achieve that by intentionally re-imagining and regularly  entering into the magical dream space…together.

So where to begin?

In my work I find it beneficial to name and acknowledge the current structures and why they aren’t or  actually can’t work. It also takes the focus off of the individual and back to the communal.

First of all, most, if not all, societal structures have been created as an easy route to manage, segregate and  control society.

Change making is often looking at disrupting the rigidity of this hold and these structures of hierarchy in  order to source who holds power and then intentionally redistributing it so we put it in the hands of those  that require it in that moment in time.

I don’t see this process as static but fluid, ever moving and flowing like water. I also don’t believe that any  one person, community or organisation should be hoarding power even if they are doing ‘great’ things  because those things will only be great for those that are the beneficiaries of such.

Disruption as a pathway to creating change

The word disruption has negative connotations and it often brings up emotive feelings in many people. Perhaps it is because of the ways that we have been conditioned – from a very early age we are taught not  to make a scene or make excessive noise or fuss – ‘put up or shut up!’.

And then there is the vulnerability of potential exposure. Placing your head above the parapet puts a focus  on you as an individual, a spotlight on the fragility of our flaws – many of which we collectively share due to  the oppressive nature of our society.

In capitalistic society, structures are created for the betterment of capital, there is this normalisation of  placing profit over the people. So, if we would like to reverse this or replace this it means changing our  mindset to the ways in which we see the world and the way we see people of the world and that includes  ourselves.

So, unless we move past this fear and consciously unlearn the toxicity of such a status quo, unless we re condition ourselves to speak boldly not just for us but for us as the individual as part of the community –  nothing changes. And if nothing changes – nothing literally changes!

And it is important to note that some members of society, specifically those have been pushed to the  margins, have no or little choice but to be disruptive. Our lives literally depend on it.

Intentional relationality

Becoming intentional with the way we relate, both to others, and the world around us is one of these small  changes that can have expansive and rippled results.

If we can become clear about the internal hierarchies that reside within us it will allow us to move past  them. But this awareness also allows us to hold deep compassion for others and their (in)actions.

It allows us to move from supremacist ways of thinking and tap into non-human modalities of knowledge  such as nature, spirit and energy.

The Sikh principle of oneness, of Ek Onkar allow me as a Sikh to tap into the vibrations of our innate  interconnectivity…One essence, One reality.

‘One supreme light, the power that exists in every living being’

It allows us to access tools to humanise a very dehumanising world.

These principles are currently allowing me to cultivate significant shifts in the Education Department at  Dundee City Council. Where those who wield power are leaning into the wisdom of global majority  communities who are regularly invisibilised, as we move towards cementing decolonial practices within the curriculum.

Choice

What feels like choice today?

Choose a meal

Choose an outfit

Choose a friend

Choose a foe

Choose choice

Choose change

If not for today

Then for the promise of tomorrow

Sand, my friend

Waves crash constantly against the rocks

water droplets

as big as your face

splash

boulders

big

sprinkle

pebbles

small

drenching

everything else in between

And we

the ones with

with no choice

mostly

stand by and watch

Do nothing

as our feet tied

with rope

pulled tight

Eyes covered

but somehow

we still see

ears sheltered

but somehow

we still hear

and we

the sinking

Dug deep

souls

in the sand

fortresses of our own making

The thing about waves is that they travel

they do

crash a little too close to

home

and it is only then

that we locate memory

to find

the blade

to cut the noose

as this is precious rock

that must be kept whole

Can we choose choice?

and if not the house

can we at least shelter the crab?