Trying to do the best that I can with what it is I have

I find it telling that an immensely talented (and prophetic) Black man (Yasiin Bey) was able to explain exactly how a middle-aged white man (me) feels at this moment in my life so perfectly.

… evidence we are all connected through space and time.

As you likely know by now, I have turned my back on societal expectations to do what I love (data visualizations and storytelling) for people I love (all beings… with a few notable exceptions).

This isn’t an easy path. And I’m not just talking about the financial ramifications (although that’s not easy either). I am talking about the pain and frustration that comes with the territory. Learning through data lets me see human stories from a Birds Eye view. I see suffering everywhere, no matter color, religion, or political affiliation. And I see how that suffering has been weaponized by delusional people, institutions, and companies to feed their back hole of greed, which keeps the rest of us from coming together to reduce our collective suffering.

But when I listen to Umi Says by Yasiin Bey, I feel understood. I also feel humbled because I will never know the pain and suffering he and all other Black people have endured to be free in America. But despite my ignorance, his words are a salve to me, and likely all others that are working for the social good.

We are all feeling the same feelings.

We don’t have to be bullet proof.

We can be vulnerable, get angry, veer of course.

This is part of the process.

And we must be patient and kind with ourselves when this happens and let the strong emotions pass. If we can do this, we will once again look up, see our North Star, and resume trudging along towards creating a better world for our people.

That said, watch this video this morning. It is such a beautiful song. I suspect it will resonate with you.

Here are the lyrics that Yasiin Bey wrote in 1999 that 27 years later, completely sum up the deepest feelings I currently hold. I have bolded the words that resonate most with me at this moment in my life.

I don’t know if Yasiin Bey studied Buddhism… but this song is to me is the private dairy entry of a human Bodhisattva. In Buddhism, some people take what’s called the “Bodhisattva vows.” In my view, they are summed up with the sutra, “Great Vows for All,” which is as follows:

Good luck with that, right?

The beauty of this passage (and much of Buddhism) is that it is impossible to attain any of it.

You know how there are all these motivational posters urging you to focus on “the journey” rather than “the destination?” Well, all of these posters imply that there is still a destination.

With the Bodhisattva vows, the destination is impossible to reach. As such, there is no destination.

Ever.

There is only the journey. This makes things so much simpler for my outcome-driven mind. If I truly want to be of service, the job is never done.

The work is the outcome.

But unfortunately, I am a flawed human being. I can understand this when I read these words… and then I move on with my day back to all my complex feelings.

Poof!

Any understanding I thought I had - Gone.

That’s why I love this song so much. It’s acts as a support group for people who want to be of service. It expresses longing, vision, suffering, frustration, and hope. The reality of this life is those feelings can’t be separated. If I try to kill off my suffering and frustration, my vision and hope will go with it. Yasiin Bey knows this.

Now, you may ask yourself, why would I highlight the part saying, “I want Black people to be free,” when I am a middle-aged white man.

Well, go back to the Great Vows for All.

The first line. “All Beings, one body - I vow to free them.” It says All Beings. Not white beings. Not wealthy beings. If one truly believes these words, how can one not want Black people to be free?

I recently had a chance to see Dave Chapelle and Jon Stewart at a fundraiser for our local public radio station. So many quotes from them really resonated with me, but one takes the cake (from Jon Stewart). Note that our devices were taken away during the talk so I can’t quote Jon directly, but I will paraphrase from memory.

The constitution is affirmative action for rural white people.

Think about that for a minute. Yes, white people still need help. I see the data on the declining labor force in their rural towns (which you will soon see when I publish this at Data 4 The People). I can tell you with strong conviction that these towns will eventually die off if they don’t welcome people that don’t look like them to bolster their labor force. City tax revenues will decline, services will get cut, police stations and schools will close, and the city will turn into a ghost town. The demographic “water” will wear down the “rock” until there is nothing left.

Demographics are destiny.

But I’m aware enough to know that they (and I) have a huge leg up on everyone else just because of our skin color. We have systemic and institutionalized affirmative action on our side.

That said, I would still love to help struggling white people, as they are clearly part of All Beings. I tried to do this with my SNAP coverage of the poverty population work, which showed that the people hurt the most by restrictive SNAP policies were those living in rural (largely white) Republican counties, who are voting against their best interests and thus, making their own cupboards more bare than they should be.

But sadly many white folks have been brainwashed. They were sold “freedumb” under the guise that it is “freedom,” and ate it up like they were at a Cracker Barrel… because this country’s unchecked and unregulated capitalism has left them behind and they were justifiably looking for someone to blame. So, the people they should be blaming preyed on our deepest seeded flaw as human beings (i.e., racism and prejudice) and created and sold white people a narrative to point a finger (or gun) at people that don’t look like them.

I understand why this has all happened, and feel sadness that America can’t see through this fog.

But unless we come up with a vaccine for freedumb (which ironically, most “freedumbers” would not take) I don’t know how to fight people’s misinformation-centered identity with data, facts, and truth. This is their identity now. If their identity starts to crack, what are they left with? People tend to fight tooth and nail to hold on to their identities.

By the way, if you want more thoughts from a legend on freedumb, listen to this. Big thanks to Matt Zeigler for sending me this song.

So, I choose to focus my work on the parts of All Beings on the beings that may actually want my help. Until I am told differently, I think Black people are part of this group of Beings.

Also, let’s be honest, with the barriers we have erected to their success in our society over hundreds of years, any American who wants to help All Beings, simply must prioritize this group of Americans. We have a lot of catch up work to do.

I’ll wrap up with an explanation of why I chose the thumbnail for this post - a Black woman carrying water.

It’s because there is a Zen Buddhist saying, “Chop wood, carry water.” This proverb highlights that daily, mundane, and essential tasks remain necessary for life, regardless of one's level of spiritual enlightenment. It emphasizes mindfulness, being fully present in the current task, and finding value in routine work.

So when you look at that picture, what do you see?

Do you see poverty? Do you see suffering?

I don’t.

Go back and look again.

This is the picture of enlightenment.

May we all find joy in chopping wood and carrying water today, and take solace in Yasiin Bey’s words that strong negative emotions simply come with the territory.