Standing together amidst the chaos

Sometimes the world can feel like it’s working at odds with our mental health. When we strive, day in and day out, to tackle the elements of our well-being that are within our control – world events can sometimes feel like a sucker punch when we’re looking the other way.

That sometimes feels like right now.

For months the world has felt as though it’s been on the brink of chaos. And now it feels as though we have tipped over the edge into the very vortex of it all. The latest blow coming from the racism that so clearly continues to plague our world. Right now feels…overwhelming. It feels like we’ve been hit with a knockout punch from which, I’m worried, we won’t recover. But we cannot give it that much force over us. We may not be able to control the racism that has catapulted us into this latest state of chaos but we can control our actions amidst it.

I know that each of us, in our own way, can be agents, allies, and ambassadors of change without contributing to the chaos. In fact, I know we can. We have stood tall against that which threatens all of us. We must now stand tall against that which threatens some of us. Because if only some of us have equality and justice then, I ask, is it real?

We will need hope and resiliency to withstand the chaos. That means we will have to lean on each other.  We can’t focus on what sets us apart but rather, what brings us together. That in fact is community. It’s more than the neighbourhoods or cities we live in, community is a sense of togetherness that comes from sharing common attitudes, beliefs and goals. When we are a part of a true community we feel that we belong. We feel as though we are not alone. We feel connected and that as individuals, we matter. That helps us to feel good about ourselves and the world in which we live.

That’s why we can’t let this latest sucker punch take us down. In this time of chaos, let’s commit to breaking the silence on this epidemic of injustice that is racism. Because when we stand together for some of us, we are standing together for every single one of us.

*Jessica Samuels is the Manager of Communications & Events for CMHA Kelowna. She is a mixed-race, person of colour.