“Even though we find ourselves afraid, and not feeling peaceful, and
less than fully loving and compassionate, we must act. There is no way
you can be in an incarnation without acting. We cannot wait until we are
enlightened to act. We all hear the way in which our silence is itself
an act of acquiescence to a system. That is as much an action as
walking. Since we must act, we do the best we can to act consciously and
compassionately.
But in addition, we can make every action an exercise designed to help
us become free. Because the truth that comes from freedom, and the power
that comes from freedom, and the love and compassion that come from
freedom are the jewels we can cultivate to offer to our fellow sentient
beings for the relief of their suffering.”
- Ram Dass -
From a conversation with Daniel Ellsberg, 1983
