may we not turn away

a reflection on humanity, justice, and the sacred responsibility we carry now more than ever

Yesterday, I sat with (and went to bed with), the raw reminder that humanity is a responsibility we all share.

This morning, I woke to a call from my daughter. She’s preparing to usher in the birth of her daughter (yes, I’m going to be a grandmother). And I can’t help but feel the sacredness of this moment.

I’m currently crossing the threshold into grandmotherhood, my daughter into motherhood, and I wonder: is this what my grandmother and my mother felt? The gravity of being a steward of protection. Of offering wisdom, of holding space. Of being a council for my daughter, my granddaughter, and those around me.

And what kind of world is my granddaughter being born into?

I know not everyone feels the world as deeply as some of us do. Some are not concerned about the well-being of others, their freedoms, their rights. And why would they be? I imagine some are just trying to make ends meet, or they’ve been brought up to believe that their gender, race, or religion is somehow superior or “right.”

However difficult a pill that is to swallow... that’s not my business.

My business is to remain a beacon of light.
A conduit of love.
A steward and advocate for justice for all humans.
A participant in action and care within my community.

Even as the world pulls us toward fear, toward scarcity, toward separation.

This much I know to be true:
We live on an abundant planet, rich in resources and capable of sustaining us all, if we honor her, and each other, with care.

And yet, some still believe that only a select few deserve access to what we all need to survive.

On top of that, we’ve been placed into silos. Labeled. Divided by the color of our skin, the shape of our bodies, the identities we wear.

Whether we continue to accept the story of scarcity, division, fear, and lack is up to us.

Whether we allow those in power, driven by their own greed and agendas, to win, is also up to us.

Beneath all of it is the same truth:
We ALL want to live in peace.
We ALL want to care for our families.
We ALL want to have access to healthcare.
We ALL want the freedoms and protections promised to us, by law, by conscience, or by the very fact that we are human.
And we ALL want to feel safe, whole, and human.

I’ve always believed it’s the activists, artists, and creatives who will save us, those who have long told the stories of our shared humanity through their work, their art, their music, their words, their books.

They are purveyors of light, the ones with the courage and audacity to rise up against anything that tries to dim or divide.

But the truth is, it takes a village.
WE are the ones who are going to save us.
Now more than ever, we need each other.
It is our shared humanity, and our collective truth, that will help us hold together any semblance of what is good, holy, and just.

And so, I offer this prayer:

May we remember the sacred in each other
Even when it’s hard.
Especially when it’s hard.

When the world grows loud with fear and force,
May we not turn away.
May we not grow numb.

May our outrage stay tender.
May our hope stay fierce.
May our hearts stay open
to what is just,
what is true,
what is humane.

Let us be protectors of each other.

© Alana Foy 2025