I am what I think, what I say, and what I do.
Aware of this great power, here’s who I am:
I am the bringer of consolation to those who are hurting.
I am the bringer of good news to…
the oppressed, the abused, the exploited;
the discriminated, the isolated, the marginalized, the segregated;
the threatened, the terrorized;
the less fortunate, the underprivileged, the disadvantaged, the dispossessed, the disinherited, the most vulnerable;
the needy, the poor, the destitute;
the economically and socially insecure, the unprotected, the defenseless, the helpless;
the homeless, the jobless, the slave, the working poor;
the despised, the thrown away;
the neglected, the left behind, the abandoned, the forgotten, the ones who have no one to care for them.
I am the keeper of my brothers and sisters around the world, because we are all one. They are as much a part of me as I am a part of them, and if one part is not well, I can’t be well; if one part is not well, we, the whole, can’t be well.
My spiritual journey brought me here, to the realization that this journey is not only about my personal transformation, but also about my contribution to the transformation of society. I have realized that my personal transformation will always be incomplete without my dedication to make the world a better place for all. I am called to stand up for justice and equality, and to speak up to denounce oppression, dehumanization, and exploitation.
But, looking from another perspective, maybe this journey is all about personal transformation, because, as I came to realize, a true, radical, spiritual transformation naturally and inescapably leads to a personal commitment to promote equal justice and equal opportunity. A radical transformation leaves no alternative except engaging in the work to establish ample social justice.

You who know, and whose vast knowing
is born of poverty, abundance of poverty —
make it so the poor are no longer
despised and thrown away.
Look at them standing about —
like wildflowers, which have nowhere else to grow.
~ Rainer Maria Rilke, in Rilke’s Book of Hours
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