In my last entry about Yoga, I was struggling to get back to my mat after a bicycle accident in the summer of 2020 left me with 4 fractured ribs.
I
finally returned to practicing in April when I twisted my ankle doing yard work
and damaged a ligament, ouch. My ankle has only just begun to feel normal. And
we've only just begun to smile again now that the pandemic is almost under
control.
Or is
it?
Anyway,
I had to pause until my ankle healed enough to sustain poses. Though I restarted
a few weeks ago, I am not the Yogi I once was (more like Boo-Boo
perhaps).
As
I've mentioned, I don't buy into the whole Yogi trip, and I am not seeking enlightenment
(how arrogant). My practice is simply aimed at enhancing my strength,
flexibility, and balance -- and staving off the inevitable decline of
aging.
With
that in mind, I was dismayed after reading an article by a self-proclaimed
"Yogi" ranting about the racism and cultural appropriation in
American Yoga. It’s everywhere apparently.
The last
thing anyone needs is more commentary on the debate over systemic racism. But
my perception is that most of us are people of goodwill who hold no animus
toward anyone based on race or any characteristic. Of course, I can’t speak for the
haters and yahoos out there.
As
for our nation's checkered history, we've come a long way, and there are still
many rivers to cross. We are far from a perfect union, but some folks out
there seem to have forgotten the American Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement,
and decades of federal and state anti-discrimination laws on the books.
And
all this wailing and gnashing of teeth on both the left and the right seems
like manufactured (and well-financed) rage. Meanwhile, the pandemic has
claimed 600,000 Americans and 4 million people around the world.
Yet
we still have no explanation for the origins of Covid-19. We’ve been told
all along by so-called scientists that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was a zoonotic
spillover from a bat to an exotic animal to humans.
But
Chinese authorities examined thousands of species and found no evidence of the
virus. By contrast, the animals that transmitted SARS-CoV-1 and MERS were found
within months: palm civets (a cat-like creature) and camels, respectively.
Now,
there’s a growing narrative that Covid leaked from a lab in Wuhan where “gain of function”
research on bat coronaviruses was being conducted, funded in part by the NIH. But there’s still no "smoking bat," no bi-partisan Congressional
investigation, and no accountability.
Something
is seriously wrong. And not being able to have an intelligent conversation
about this or much of anything else these days is even more
wrong. Whatever happened to the marketplace of ideas…and free
speech?
Previously, this blog featured political satire in good clean fun. Now, people on both sides of the aisle are crazy. In any case, it’s not about parties or personalities, but rather public policy and how our resources (tax revenue) should be allocated, which leaves plenty of room for robust debate.
Abraham
Lincoln quoted from the Bible when he said, “a nation divided against itself cannot
stand.” Sadly, he was right.
If nothing else, the Covid-19 pandemic is a reminder that time and people are precious. Let's use our time wisely and treat each other kindly. In the meantime, the best thing for me to do is get back to my yoga mat.
