Feeling Fear and Building Resiliency with Molly

SSS
Written By Lesa Gould

Feeling Fear and Building Resiliency

In this video, I explore my internal journey after attending the Institute for Islamic Christian Jewish Studies lecture entitled "The Capitol Riot and the Crisis in Christian Identity" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt738LMNT4M). The lecture provided me with insight into the role of Christian Nationalism in the events leading up to and on January 6, 2021, as well as their intersections with the white supremacist movement in the United States. To say that I was horrified would be an understatement.

I did an immense amount of research of my own following this lecture (and you can find links to the most interesting of the lectures and articles below), but found myself unable to fill the void I felt that was created by the new information and only found myself becoming more frantic as my search for meaning and for what to actually do with this new information continued.

I propose that the answer partly lies within our own selves and in allowing ourselves to REALLY feel the things we feel about things that scare or upset us to help us understand how to move forward. In beginning to feel our feelings and talk about those feelings with others, we can build compassion for one another, strengthen bonds, and begin to subvert the expectations and beliefs that others who disagree with us might hold about us.

If you'd like to do some research on your own about some of the things I raise in this video, here are some links to help you get started. As you read through these articles and listen to these lectures, I wonder what might show up in your body. If you're feeling up to it, I invite you to tune into your body and listen to it and notice what's happening there, without judgment, as you explore these resources:

Lesa Gould
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