On the Wings of Change

Ana Arias | Boulder Weekly

“Greed, envy, individualism, and an excessive materialism are altering the human experience and

causing a lack of equilibrium in the world. I believe the inequality has also generated racism, the

sickness of discrimination. This world has lost values; it must begin again. Beginning again means

much humility.” — Rigoberta Menchú Tum in PeaceJam: A Billion Simple Acts of Peace

12/8/2017, 12:29 PM

On The Wings of Change - Boulder Weekly

http://www.boulderweekly.com/news/on-the-wings-of-change/

Editor’s note: This interview was conducted in and translated from Spanish.

Racism. It’s a cauldron of shadow attributes that amass into a powerful brew of sheer yuck: abuse,

harassment, discrimination, prejudiced attitudes, cultural biases. Often rooted in fear and

ignorance, racism, ironically, is an equal opportunity affliction that comes in varying strengths.

Little ones can pick it up from their family members as easily as they pick up their ABCs. Adults

with ingrained biases can spend their whole lives fine-tuning their skewed perspective, certain

that their sense of superiority over others is justified.

Fortunately, there is hope for a present and a future that calls for a united front of minds and

hearts and that has the potential for unleashing a new consciousness within each of us. I’m not

talking about just the intellectual and spiritual realms — I’m talking about the embracing of a

consciousness that has pragmatic, real-world action behind it.

On July 8, Boulderites will have a unique opportunity to hear from a wise Mayan woman who

represents that beacon of hope. Rigoberta Menchú Tum is an internationally renowned Mayan activist

from Guatemala whose lifetime of work in leading her indigenous people in a non-violent movement

against the military government of Guatemala earned her the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize. She’s

recognized as having been instrumental in a peace accord in Guatemala that helped to end a 36-year

civil war and reclaim many rights on behalf of Mayans.

Mrs. Menchú, the sixth of nine siblings, knows racism from a very personal level: her father,

mother and one of her brothers were all tortured and killed by the Guatemalan army.

Mrs. Menchú continues to work for peace and justice for her people and indigenous cultures

worldwide. Currently, she is working with Guatemala’s minister of education as part of a team tasked

with constructing a national peace curriculum for Guatemalan youth that will be implemented

nationwide through the school system.

Between a trip to China and preparing for her visit to Boulder, during which she will share

insights about the dawning of a new age in 2012, Mrs. Menchú took time to share her thoughts on

racism.

Boulder Weekly: In the 2008 book PeaceJam: A Billion Acts of Simple Actions, you write that

inequality has generated racism, which you call the “sickness of discrimination.” Racism is such a

prevailing illness in our culture. From your experience, what leads the human soul to take the

crooked path of racism? And how is it still affecting us today?

Rigoberta Menchú Tum: I have seen many dead people. I have seen many poor people, and I have seen

many people who cry and cry and cry trying to find happiness. I have seen a lot of suffering, many

people who are destitute and hungry, many people with cancer and other diseases, and they have all

been excluded and marginalized. People are marginalized when they are not able to enter into

certain social categories. The struggle against marginalization, exclusion and racism is not a

temporary struggle, but rather a life-long one.

BW: As I understand it, Mayan spiritual tradition believes that beginning in 2012, much will begin

to shift in the world — a shift away from the “darkest time for humanity” that the Mayans call “no

time,” in which there is lack of perspective, a time where humans have lost what you call the

“concept of solidarity, of amity, or collaboration, of sharing.” Part of that shift is associated

with the people of the world finding a common ground. How are those anticipated societal changes

going to impact racism as we know it?

RMT: I think the indigenous peoples have been able to survive disasters, discrimination, racism,

exclusion and many exterminations precisely because they have a profound and deep culture. As

Mayans in particular, we are very proud that our culture endures today in the universe of cultures.

Well, in 2012 there is a change in era, and it is our time to initiate a new era. I hope this new

era will be prosperous, successful, a contribution to humanity, because the one we have lived for

more than 5,000 years has been very painful. But perhaps the new era will be more prosperous for

our people because the lives of our indigenous peoples are also the life of humanity in general.

Natural disasters demonstrate that no one can own life, no one can own knowledge. And because of

this, it is so important that we all collaborate to form a better world. All of us must dream

together of a better world.

BW: How do you teach children to embrace, not hate; to celebrate, not put down or bully, when so

much of what they see around them seems to model disrespectful, inhumane or unkind treatment based

on accent, skin tone or nationality?

RMT: It is necessary to reconstruct the fabric of society, taking into consideration what is

happening and perhaps fighting with much more courage, because I feel that people have lost courage

and have accepted the injustices. I think we have to do the important job of training leaders. I think we have to

invest in the creation of leaders. I am referring to the fact that there have to be programs,

opportunities, exchanges of opinion. Human beings have to be thinking beings. Human beings should

be thinking beings because otherwise they only accept the rules that are already in place, and many

of the rules are based on policies that are racist, materialistic and not based on global and

holistic policies that respect human dignity.

BW: Tell us the story of a specific example where you have witnessed fierce racism. And share with

us a couple of instances where you’ve seen or learned of a life-changing experience where racism

morphed into healing.

RMT: Several members of my family were tortured and killed during the war in Guatemala, and many

people have heard this story. This is still my deepest experience of racism.

But I would like to talk instead about healing.

Right now it is time to open the pathways. We must open the door to reconciliation amongst

ourselves. We have offended one another a great deal. We have offended cultures.

This idea of starting over together can be practiced in very difficult situations. I have, in these

years, helped in the process of reconciliation between couples, for example. It is a very special thing.

But also, not only must we ask for forgiveness, we must also learn to coexist with each other. We must

have a great deal of tolerance of others and respect others and their differences. Each person has

a world, a preoccupation, an objective, and we should try to be patient and know that this

objective is valid since it is his or her dream.

So, many paths must be opened for tolerance, patience, for humility. Humble people know how to listen. It doesn’t

matter if words are offensive, they don’t kill. One must simply listen and assimilate the good and let the bad filter out

along the way. Finally, I think that it is not only ours to open up the paths, but also to be an example. I think our first

obligation is to not respond to provocation with anger, but with wisdom, because that which we need the most these

days is wisdom.

BW: What are the most meaningful, practical actions that everyday people can do to extend a hand toward

inclusion and tolerance as opposed to the clinching fist of division and racism?

RMT: In my personal experience, there was a time where I was left with no money, no friends, no strength,

and it was like my health was in jeopardy. I asked the spiritual guides what I needed to do.

What’s happening to me? I didn’t want to get up. I didn’t want to do things. And they told me that I had a

lack of equilibrium. If you find equilibrium, you can do many things.

So I traveled through many hills and valleys. I went to temples. I walked through the mountains and

volcanoes, and went to many places full of energy. And since then, I have had a great conscience

about time and the need to help people return to their Mother Nature. In my personal experience,

I have had to secure this equilibrium within myself before I could really extend my hand to others, day after day.

So, this is where you have to start.

BW: Estimates on gang activity in Guatemala put the number of gang members at 400,000, in a country whose

population is 13 million. Many of the gang members in Guatemala are affiliated with Mara Salvatrucha 13, the most

feared and violent gang in Los Angeles. In the United States, criminal gang members are estimated to be around

1 million, responsible for approximately 80 percent of crimes committed in neighborhoods nationwide. What can be

done to change the mindset of such hardcore, deeprooted hatred and racism in extreme groups?

RMT: Guatemala is a very spiritual place.

Mayans are spiritual. Aztecs were warriors and Incas were economic gods, but Mayans were very, very

spiritual. My people say that humanity has gone through four cycles, each cycle having 5,200 years. The first

cycle was dominated by feminine energy, the second cycle had a masculine energy, the third cycle

had a feminine energy, the fourth — which is the one we’re leaving — has a masculine energy, which

can give you an idea why we have so much violence in the world today.

But after the 21st of December 2012, we’ll begin the fifth cycle, which has a dual energy, the feminine

and the masculine, in balance for the very first time. So I have hope. I have great hope for the

future. I am also very happy to be coming to Boulder with my Mayan teachers, so that the Mayan voice can be heard

very clearly right now, because it is the time for this.

BW: Empathy is a human trait known to be an effective ambassador to exorcising deep-rooted racist views. Would

you agree and, if so, how can we teach ourselves and others to permanently adopt empathy?

RMT: All individuals are in need of being in equilibrium. Equilibrium begins in our “other I.” I have

another shadow, another spirit, and this other spirit needs to be in equilibrium. The two great fortunes we own must be

in equilibrium … material fortune and spiritual fortune. Many times we emphasize the material fortune, that is, our home,

money, shoes, clothes. And we are not thinking, “Who am I? What is my purpose? What energies do I possess? What is

the depth of my spirit to be able to be healthy?” And we don’t care for ourselves until we are ill. Many people don’t think

about all the spiritual for tunes they have missed in life until they have a terminal disease.

And spirituality, remember, is not a religion, but a way of life. One must be grateful, humble, and walk the Earth

knowing that there are other lives around us. And we must be in harmony with ourselves. Spiritual fortune is what this

world needs the most. That is how we begin to create empathy and compassion.

BW: You are a recipient of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of your nonviolent work for indigenous

people’s rights. In 2007, you ran for president of Guatemala. What message would you like to impart to the people of Boulder County about ending racism in our backyards and yours?

RMT: I think we must renew our commitment so that the fight for justice is a life-long fight, the fight

against impunity is a life-long fight, the fight for peace is something so vital so as to actually renew the contents of peace. And I think that we are the hope of a culture of peace. This culture has to be born out of tolerance,

of dialogue, of non-discrimination, and of inclusion. This peaceful culture does not only accept difficulties but looks for

solutions. I think that we must become people who try to look for solutions every day.

BW: What do you do to keep your spirits up, in light of the violence in the world?

RMT: Each day, I pray for much spirituality, much concentration and much confidence, because the Creator

strengthens us every time we are looking for energy.

Ribogerta Menchú Tum will be joined by Mayan spiritual elders Don Pedro Yac Noj and Doña Faviana Cochoy Alva

on Thursday, July 8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Naropa University’s Nalanda Campus. They will provide

information not previously shared about the real Mayan prophecy regarding the year 2012.

The event will offer a day of teaching and inspiration, as well as guidance on how to be a leader in these

challenging times. Author Clarissa Pinkola Estés (Women Who Run with the Wolves) and Grammy-nominated musician

Nawang Khechog will also be participating in the event.

A limited number of tickets are still available. To register, call PeaceJam at 303-455-2099, or register online at

www.peacejam.org/events.aspx.

Proceeds from the event will support the work of Mrs. Menchú, the Mayan spiritual elders and the PeaceJam

Foundation. PeaceJam is an international program developed around Nobel Peace Prize winners who work personally

with global youth to “pass on the spirit, skills and wisdom” embodied by Nobel Prize recipients.

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com

IF YOU GO:

“2012 Revealed,” with Nobel Peace Prize Winner Rigoberta Menchú Tum and Mayan spiritual leaders,

July 8, 9 a.m to 4 p.m.

Naropa University, Nalanda Campus, 6287 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder. Tickets are $195 for general admission.

Call 303-455-2099, or visit www.peacejam.org/events.aspx.