Vulnerability is Courage, by Bethany Przybocki

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
“Who am I but the dust of the Most High; drifting like a leaf in the summer sky; hoping one day you will see; that what’s inside of you is what’s inside of me?” -Trevor Hall
About a week ago, I was walking down Central Avenue and found myself passing many people struggling with homelessness who were hanging out near the bus stops next to this highway. I suddenly became intensely aware of the expensive laptop in my bag and this looming fear of being robbed crept up within me. I then walked faster and farther away from these people, trying to keep my head down, not to make eye contact. While these grim thoughts fought for recognition, I heard this little voice inside of me (I know we are all well aware of this voice), which kept saying “this isn’t right, Beth. Why do you keep running away from your shared humanity? Do you care more about the material things you carry, rather than confronting these egotistical thoughts of assumed hierarchy which separate you from them?” I then slowed my pace, took a deep breath, and witnessed the limiting lenses of my clouded perceptions dissolve into Earth. As I let go of my attachments with the laptop, the true essence of my identity once again became visible through the many faces surrounding me. As Nobel Peace Prize winner, Priest, and Theologian Desmund Tutu explains, “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together”. Continuing on my walk with gratitude, I watched as Holy Spirit stood by, offering a genuine smile and wave.
I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.

​You can read more from Bethany here.