There is much talk today about being “woke”. The right uses it as a derogatory slur in attack of liberal values. The left embraces the slur as a compliment related to awakening to the systemic injustices in our culture. Although systemic injustice are important to be aware of, awakening is so much more. Like getting out of bed in the morning, awakening is an everyday and ongoing event.
Awakening begins when we start to question our perceptions of reality, our worldview – family perspectives, educational conditioning, social norms, religious beliefs, cultural version of history… Awakening continues as we explore our feelings and unmet needs – the internal and relational effect of our past. An awakened life embraces the exploration of the triggers that we react to, the letting go of blame and shame, the consideration of deeper issues than what is on the surface.
Awakening moves us from the biased conditioning of our mind to the authenticity of our heart. It moves from separation to connection, from competition to cooperation, from judgment to empathy, to the rule of acceptance and compassion.
Awakening opens us to explore the wounds of our past, the losses we experienced, the patterns we developed, the projections of our pain onto others.
I completely embrace the woke culture, only as it questions everything… and moves us from the deception of our conditioning to a fully awakened heart.
Consider your world view and how it has evolved over time. Consider how you have embraced reevaluating assumption and belief. Consider the joys and difficulting of waking up. Consider areas that still need exploration.