My heart is cracked open

When I see the man kneeling on another man’s neck
When a child is shot with a phone in his hand
When vigilantes chase down a jogger because he looks at a house under construction
When a handcuffed man is kicked in the head
When mass shootings occur everyday

My heart is cracked open.

When a child victim of rape is forced to birth a child
When a woman is forced to carry a dead baby to term
When a victim is blamed for the actions of her attacker
When no doesn’t seem to mean no
When women and children are trafficked and sold

My heart is cracked open.

When I see the smoke polluted air
When I taste the polluted water
When species disappear
When the powerful continue to use up and exploit our mother the earth
When profit is all that matters

My heart is cracked open.

Every time I become conscious of suffering and wrongdoing, my heart is cracked open. This cracking is a stage in my own evolutionary growth. As I become more aware of the suffering of the world, I become more attuned to others. I become more empathetic. I become more compelled to take action to alleviate suffering and pain.  I become less fearful of speaking out. I become more courageous and more open to change. This cracking open of my heart is necessary in order for me to manifest more unconditional love in the world.

While this cracking open is difficult and painful, it is a necessary component of birth. Unless I am cracked open, I stay in a constricted and closed space. I cannot move. I am rigid. I am caught up in old ideas and old attitudes that no longer serve. Until my heart cracks open, I cannot see others with love and compassion. Until my heart cracks open, I cannot treat myself with the same love and compassion that I want to send to others.

Now is the time for us to allow our hearts to be cracked open. Now is the time for us to see clearly and to call out injustice, while at the same time manifesting a compassionate and loving spirit into the world. Now is the time to stand for justice and equity, to not be afraid to speak out, to join with our brothers and sisters in speaking truth to power, to be the change we want to see in the world. With our cracked open hearts, we can make a difference, no matter how large or how small, in our own corner of the world.