Peace & Love - where did we go wrong post the 60's

Woodstock & the time of peace & love…..

I grew up with parents who had thrived in the sixties. My Mother desperately wanted to join the ranks of those at Woodstock not in a incense burning flower power way but in a folk singing, fighting for what you believe in, lets make society fare kind of vibe. She played Carol Carpenter, Joan Baez, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan. The first album I knew pretty much all the words to was Hair! Yes ladies and gentlemen at 3 years old I could recite most of the words from Masturbation! My parents firmly believed in equality, working hard for your money, being generous when and where you can, sharing, giving out love and compassion, being part of a community. Amazing values to have as your rock and foundation. They still have these values. I still share them.

Is this why I have taken the yoga path? No I don't think so. My parents are also firm believers in what you see if what you get. They are not religious, they are not believers, they do not go to church or worship God. I do and always have bizarrely. They never understood this, they actually made fun of me (it creates a thick skin for later in life) and always worried I would end up in a sect or as a nun! Even recently when I told them I had met someone special and told Mum his name is Jésus she chuckled and said oooh let me tell your Father! She promptly went down and told my Father "I had found Jesus" - he did not reply at first so my Mum repeated that I had found Jesus and he simply said "Bloody barking mad!" I am still a Christian but I am increasingly disheartened by how people are using religion. Not just the Muslims (and please understand this is not a generalisation of the Muslim faith and followers) but Christians and Jews too. I don't understand why we should point fingers and differentiate ourselves from each other. We are all human beings, we are all equal, water has no colour, neither do tears….. a smile and a cry of pain are the same in any language and culture. 

My yoga path began at first for my physical journey - to rid myself of self-lothing and get myself on a path of love and self-acceptance. But it quickly became a spiritual journey one that only goes to encourage and develop more love, more compassion, more acceptance. After the recent events in Paris - and elsewhere - I posted this on facebook.

Years ago I went to a play with my Mother in Stratford Upon Avon. It was during the Falklands war and Margaret Thatcher was in power. An Argentine and an English woman were on the stage each one recounting their story of their sons at war with one another. Each Mother shared the same anguish, pain, sadness at the violence their sons were facing as they thought of eachother, Mothers crying the same tears, one in Argentina, one in Britain. Several right-wing journalists walked out during this scene - they were so sure that their cause, the British cause, for fighting was the right one. The two women stopped as the journalists walked out along the wooden seated areas in the Swan Theatre then continued their scene recounting their stories either side of the world - they were the same.

I am a mother of two dual nationality children, I have a Venezuelan boyfriend, I have chosen to live in this beautiful country and call France my home, I embrace all cultures, beliefs, colours….

I grieve the deaths of Friday and the deaths of many other people on many other days in many countries. I will not change my portrait photo to blue, red and white despite the fact that these are the same colours for my country of origin and that of France because my tears have no colour and my sadness knows no flag of origin. 

I pray for peace, I pray for love, I pray for union…

Like my parents before me I believe in love, I believe in compassion, I believe also in fighting for freedom, for the education and equal rights for women & men and beautiful free passage of my daughters future, I believe we should nurture our planet, our souls, our friends and family. I believe our hearts should beat with a little more love and that we should share that love wherever we can. All you need is love as John Lennon said….. some of the messages from Woodstock and that whole era should be put into place now…. why are we still fighting, why are we still trying yellow ribbons around trees, leaving flowers and candles where blood was shed, sending our citizens to war! why?????

I pray that my children and my childrens' children will see a better future one of openess, compassion and peace. One that embraces the peaceful and beautiful messages of each religion, one that leaves beautiful music behind and the spiral a little wider.

Hari Om Tat Sat