by Brighton XR Meditators
During the enforced isolation of the Coronavirus pandemic Brighton Extinction Rebellion Meditators reached out across borders to rebels in Bogota and sat together in an online vigil to commemorate those killed in defending the earth in Colombia.
XR Meditators are drawn from all faiths and non. We were struck by our privilege and the safety of our activism when a young Colombian who joined us and asked us, with tears in her eyes, to commemorate the Colombians activists murdered.
Colombia is one of the most dangerous places in the word to be an environmental activist; 50 have been killed this year. The second most biologically diverse country on Earth is vital to the earth’s biosystem. To our economic system, it is an untapped resource with a voracious land grab between mining, Palm Oil, Beef, and Cocao production, while local peoples fight for their lives and livelihoods, we in the UK safely profit from this exploitation.( UK is 2nd largest investor in Colombia.))
Bogata XR rebels were surprised and curious about how meditation might fit with civil disobedience and non-violent direct-action. Perhaps the radially quiet approach would attract interest in the usual noise of many strikes and demonstrations in Bogota?
A creative on-line collaboration emerged with a short video. 100 UK and Colombians sat together over zoom, while 100s more watched it live on Facebook . Reaching out across the earth we shared our opposition to the destructive and exploitative systems that kills and dominates the earth, we sat together in grief and love and a deepening awareness of our interconnection and ‘interbeing’
Using the power of social media and meditation to share our presence and our stories across the global XR community at this time of isolation felt important and significant.
Reaching out across the earth we shared our opposition to the destructive and exploitative systems that kills and dominates the earth, we sat together in grief and love and a deepening awareness of our interconnection and ‘interbeing’
Using the power of social media and meditation to share our presence and our stories across the global XR community at this time of isolation felt important and significant, and we hope just the beginning of more connecting across borders.
XR Brighton Meditators is a group from across denominations that come together and share courageous silent sitting and walking practices in support of our planet and to raise awareness of the climate emergency and mass extinction that is already upon us. We have been involved in actions such as silent vigils in road blockades and public mass meditations. If you’d like to make contact with the group and join us in future activities, email us: BrightonXRMeditation@protonmail.com