Stop Asian Hate

The escalating violent hate crimes against Asians and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are horrifying. If you haven’t seen any of the videos, I encourage you to do so. Violence is never ok, and racially motivated violence against the elderly, women, and businesses are extremely cowardly and should not be tolerated. Learning self-defense can also be very empowering- something everyone should consider.

Growing up as a mixed-race child, my struggles with racism was compounded by the fact that I always felt like an outcast. I wasn’t Korean enough, Hispanic enough, American enough. I was bullied, discriminated against, and my accomplishments always preceded with overcoming attempted sabotage by those who felt I was taking away from “one of their own”. I never felt like I belonged, and lived most of my life in survival mode.

This self-preservation mode eventually helped me achieve a lot in my life and career, but I didn’t like the person I had become. It didn’t reflect who I was on the inside. It wasn’t until I left it all behind that I learned to embrace myself in its purest form, and that the only acceptance I needed was from myself. This realization led me to inner peace and a sense of empowerment that I find so sacred, and will always nurture and protect. 

Guidance from the spirit world is this:

As human beings, hierarchies and pecking orders are established at a very young age, we’re pitted against each other in a very competitive environment. It’s rooted at the individual level and exists across all race and ethnicities (some more than others). It’s this conditioned desire to be accepted and be perceived to be superior and “better than” that’s so toxic in our culture. Perpetrators always choose those perceived to be weaker/less than, in a misguided attempt to elevate themselves.

If you can relate to the societal conditioning of needing to be “better than”, go within and reflect how that may have manifested in intentional or unintentional harm and bias towards those around you. Acknowledge that aspect of yourself with compassion and forgiveness. Take a moment to reach out to someone you may have hurt. It can serve as a catalyst for healing for that person and yes, that small gesture can be that powerful.

Then shift your perspective from being “better than” to “better for”. Instead of trying to be “better than” someone else, be “better for” yourself and others. Release all the ways you compare yourself to others. All of the perceived privileges can be taken away in an instant. Let’s thrive together, not at the expense of one another.

We may all look different, but truly there is only one race. The human race.

#stopasianhate