Last night Gerald Stanley was acquitted in the shooting death of Colten Boushie in a Saskatchewan court room. My news feed on Facebook has been bleeding with all the anguish, pain, sadness, frustration and fear associated with this case.
Source: CBC
This case may very well be the last straw in a relationship that has been ravaged by genocide, theft, murder, discrimination and poverty. The sentiment was summed up when I read these words from a friend of mine on Facebook this morning:
My pain and heart sympathize completely with all the ones that have been put through this wringer of injustice. That system is designed to consume us. - Sweetgrass Sitting Bear, February 10, 2018
What my dear friend and others like him are looking for is justice, peace, equality and freedom. They want the discrimination, poverty and genocide to end. They really do feel like the system is consuming them because it is. They have been viewed like animals for hundreds of years, a commodity that can be shot, skinned and hung like a deer or moose. The type of justice they are looking for is not what you or I would consider possible from the system.
Justice: 1. The quality of being morally just or righteous; the principle of just dealing; just conduct; integrity. - Oxford Unabridged Dictionary (1958)
This is the type of justice that we ALL should portray within ALL our relationships. The problem is that racism gets in the way and skews our vision and heart. How is it that it is okay for an all white jury to hear a case about a white guy shooting an indigenous young man? How is it that a man wielding a gun is not held responsible for the consequences of that gun? Even pointing a gun at somebody is aggravated assault, let alone discharging it. These are not the actions of a self-governing, righteous and morally just individual. But then again, court is not about the type of justice that we should all be working towards. Instead it is about the other form of justice.
Justice: 2. Exercise of authority or power in maintenance of right; vindication of right by assignment of reward or punishment.
The judicial system is designed for punishment, which is nothing short of revenge. That is how most people see the system and treat one another when they feel they have been wronged in some way. It was never about being righteous, but rather it has always been about the use of force to exact revenge. We are confronted with a paradox as the second definition of 'justice' violates the first as the use of authority or power requires force, coercion and violence which violates the first definition as it is not morally just or righteous.
This case just magnifies the damage caused within our relationships with one another as a result of the system and us buying into the benefits and privileges of that system. That choice is a colossal mistake.
If we really want to confront ourselves, we must recognize this case is an example of a damaged relationship and demonstrates how blind and dependent we are on the role the system plays in our lives. This feudal system is NOT designed to provide the first definition of justice and any attempt to demand that from the system will end in futility.
If we really want a justice system that embraces righteousness, peace and morality within all our interactions, it must come from within each of us and be expressed in our relationships. I've spoken for years about these principles and that our only option is to abandon the state and build these relationships ourselves. I've been friended by hundreds upon hundreds of indigenous people as I feel they resonate with this idea. I've spend countless hours with them to work on my relationship directly to demonstrate that it can work.
I've felt a great deal of sadness and frustration as I watch them continue to fight a system that is consuming them.
Healing 500 years of trauma, genocide, theft, murder, pollution and discrimination is tough. Reconciling relationships requires a separation so that healing can take place on both sides. Whether it is a violent and abusive marriage where the spouse has to be rescued from the abuser to save his / her life, or a whole group of people have to be rescued from the abusive state and its citizens, the issue is the same. The separation must occur before healing can take place. Only when we have healed can we approach the relationship from a whole new paradigm that is healthy, respectful, righteous and morally right. This is the only way I see this unfolding in a peaceful way. The governments attempt at reconciliation will not work because the government is, at its core, abusive, coercion and violent.
I call upon the people to break up Canada into pieces. People need to find a way to remove themselves from the violence and discrimination, no matter the color of their skin. They need huge swaths of their land returned to them so that they can protect their culture, language, ceremonies. land, water, air and families. Only then can true healing start to unfold.
But at the same time, we have a lot of soul searching to do as we also explore our participation with the violence and genocide that came with the feudal system we embrace so willingly. Our European ancestors have been colonized for a thousand years, so we have lost the memory of what it was like to be indigenous. The violence we engage in is normalized and even legalized. But it is not morally righteous and just.
We engage in a relationship founded on violence and coercion without giving it a second thought. We have become so desensitized to it, that our abusive, violent behaviour is seen as 'morally righteous and just', even though it is not!
The system encourages and facilitates violence and division. It literally does consume us as it is designed to consume souls! My dear friend is absolutely correct with his words. We are all being consumed by an evil system that has hoodwinked us all into thinking that it is okay to treat one another in ways that is repugnant, abusive and morally wrong in many ways. Dividing up the corporate empire will reduce or eliminate its influence and allow people to come together in peace, freedom and harmony - if they have that desire within their hearts.
This court case is a symptom of a much larger problem and I pray it is a catalyst for change. I also call upon those calling for change to do it peacefully and lead by example as violent revolution is not the answer either.