The leaders who will take us into the next era of our democracy are the ones who are bold enough to lead with love.
Not with body slams, not with lies, not with ego, not with exclusion.
But with a love that's generous, not measured by the teaspoon, not measured at all.
In our society that incessantly asks "What's in it for me" and almost never "What's in it for us," (credit to President Kennedy), we need a radically generous love in movement leaders, now more than ever.
I'm not fully on board with the term "circular firing squad," but in observing conversations on social media and in, er, meatspace, I see that some folks are more invested in protecting their ego or building up their social capital or defending their position than in doing the hard work of getting to truth and building community.
Read Janaya's piece; I really resonated with her words "non-engagement is not sustainable." As a first generation person living here, the truth of that lives deep inside me. Engaging with people takes work, and doing hard work requires feeding one's soul and doing all the restorative practices. But it's worth it, and it's essential. I'm not saying to never stand up and say NO-- of course we do so and should continue to do so.
I'm suggesting we look hard at why we say no, where and how we draw lines (again, drawing lines is a good thing), and where we might push ourselves to love even more radically.