The Gift of Healing

"People who have experienced deep suffering

and are still gentle with others

do not get enough credit

to not let the hard things

that happened to you win is heroic work,

to drop the bitterness

and still live with an open heart

despite it all

is a massive gift to the world"

yung pueblo

We've all experienced—and continue to experience—so much suffering in our lifetimes.

It's unavoidable. The First Noble Truth of Buddhism states it plainly and clearly: There is suffering.

Suffering, or dukkha, is a fact of life—for us as individuals, and for us collectively.

It may be unavoidable, but it's not as depressing as it sounds. There are ways that we can work toward ending suffering. Or at last drastically reduce the suffering that we experience.

For ourselves. And for others.

In the context of fighting for change—for equity, for justice—the approach to reducing suffering is counterintuitive for many people, especially for folks who have experienced (and still experience) the brunt of suffering from the world's injustices.

I believe we all have the capacity to change. It takes commitment; it takes practice; it takes humility; it takes courage.

But who said creating a better world for ourselves and each other would be easy or quick?

Healing is not easy or quick. Healing is a journey, a lifelong commitment. A journey that we don't always know where it will take us.

But a journey that is well worth the effort. I invite you to come on this journey with me.

Hello, I'm Jared Karol. Thanks for reading Wisdom from the Town, my new a-few-times-a-week newsletter focusing on the intersection of healing and change.

The title stems from two sources:

1) I live in Oakland, often referred to as the Town (the City, San Fransisco, is across the Bay).

2) The author yung pueblo, whose last name translate as "town" in Spanish.

The wisdom often comes from yung pueblo and from many other sources as well—including but not limited to healing practitioners, Buddhism, social justice and change agents, trauma-informed teachers and therapists, and socially conscious musical artists.

Soon, I will be offering coaching services. For now, I simply invite you to read, reflect, share, and continue on your journey of healing yourself so you can heal others. Collectively, we can create the change that we want to see in the world.

In community,

Jared