There is a powerful text in Eastern philosophy called the Discourse on Love. It advises that to live a peaceful and wise life, one must not be covetous and carried away by the emotions of the majority.
Many people are carried away by the majority’s sense of safety in militarism. This was on display last week as the US Blue Angels and French equivalent, and British, French, and US fighter jets, flew over Baltimore: military power in the guise of entertainment. Many watched in awe, clapped, stopped their cars to get a better view, and made sure they had the perfect place to take pictures. It was hard to ignore the jets, very loud training for two afternoons leading up to the big performance on June 28 afternoon.
The Blue Angels often perform with their French counterparts and has been a welcomed event for 80 years, recruiting many and entertaining millions each year. They are continuing their shows across the US, as the celebration of 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence is marked this 4th of July in 2026.
Many are persuaded by this false sense of power in machines of violence that can kill from afar with minimal awareness of what happens to the people and communities targeted. Not seeing the person being harmed close up can convince the person maneuvering the machine, and the person on the ground beaming at the power of air maneuvers, that we are safe and free: free to harm with no reflection. These machines allow us to remove ourselves from the humanity of the perceived ‘enemy’.
So as we reflect on the result of 250 years of building a more democratic US government for and by the people, we can celebrate greater sovereignty for Native Indigenous peoples while we protest the removal of historical exhibits and monuments marking their displacement and death in an attempt to erase the history of colonization. We can celebrate the end of enslavement of kidnapped Africans even while we protest the reversal of laws to protect the rights of their descendants. We can celebrate the strength in diversity of the many immigrants that built this nation even while we fight to stop the violence being enacted on immigrants today. Those causing harm may not be in the majority of numbers, but they are the majority with access to the power of government through exploitation of the very people from whom they continue to extract resources and oppress. The emotions of greed and hatred fuel their war mongering, segregation, and racism. They are not at peace, they are not upright, and they are not humble. And in them there is little time or interest to listen to the advice of wise ones. Today, as the majority of US citizens celebrate its independence from Great Britain, let us reflect on how to grow our kindness, friendliness, and inclusiveness, and repair the harm caused by covetousness during the past 400+ years of colonization of Turtle Island.
May all of us be safe, happy, and find peace. May it be so.