By
The
gay community’s decades of activism fighting homophobia and dealing with HIV/
AIDS places them at a greater advantage for responding to the lament of the
Earth over what is being done to her. Gay history is intertwined with standing
up for causes that makes this world a better place. Many of us who survived the
AIDS crisis along with the new generation of LGBTQ activists are now summoned
to respond to our current collective challenges. As the ecosystem is being
destroyed by greed and economic expansion, everyone has a responsibility to
respond to the lament of the Earth. As the oceans get more polluted and rainforest more devastated, we need to ask ourselves, “What are we doing for the
Earth?”
The
current toxic political climate is a major contributing factor not only to the
mistreatment of nature, but also to the psychological distress that many of us
are experiencing. Therefore, we all need to participate in “loving the world
back to health.” As Dr. King stated, “In the End, we will remember not the words
of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
As
a gay man and a psychotherapist who understands the importance of
relationships, it saddens me to realize how disconnected humanity has become
from nature and each other. Many people are so obsessed
with the tools of new technology and social media that they have lost
connection not only to their souls but also to the soul of the world (Anima
Mundi). A human being is wired to make authentic connections, to be empathic,
to live a meaningful life, to treat nature with respect, and to embrace his
divine nature. When humanity acts against his or her nature or does not
embrace what is real to be a human, all sorts of psychological distress
unfolds.
Our
current political structure that governs our lives endorses policies that are
not congruent with humanity’s real nature. Such policies contribute
to the destruction of the ecosystem, creation of an
inadequate health care system, disregarding human rights, using religion to
oppress LGBTQ people, encouraging fulfillment through consumerism, and
providing substantial tax cuts to the wealthiest individuals. Such a
corrupt political structure makes it difficult for many of us to live our authentic nature,
optimally thrive and causes psychological distress. In any society where people
are conditioned to view getting ahead equals success while having no regard for
those who fall behind is not going to be a healthy society. Humans are not
wired to compete but to cooperate.
Given that mental health and sociopolitical factors are deeply intertwined, mental health providers need to consider the rise of addiction, depression, anxiety, and suicide in our current society not only rooted in the individual psyche but also the sociopolitical factors. There are many reasons why people cannot optimally thrive, and sociopolitical factors are one of them.
Many LGBTQ people who participate in psychotherapy often feel ashamed for not being able to adjust to a dysfunctional and homophobic society and thinking there is something wrong with them for feeling anxious or depressed. Often the work in therapy is focused on understanding the negative impact of growing up in a dysfunctional family and not enough focus on the impact of living within a corrupt political structure. This does not mean psychotherapists need to turn the therapy session into a political discussion and impose their political views on their clients. Yet, therapists need to consider that people develop many psychological problems in societies where they are alienated from nature, each other, and themselves.
Given that mental health and sociopolitical factors are deeply intertwined, mental health providers need to consider the rise of addiction, depression, anxiety, and suicide in our current society not only rooted in the individual psyche but also the sociopolitical factors. There are many reasons why people cannot optimally thrive, and sociopolitical factors are one of them.
Many LGBTQ people who participate in psychotherapy often feel ashamed for not being able to adjust to a dysfunctional and homophobic society and thinking there is something wrong with them for feeling anxious or depressed. Often the work in therapy is focused on understanding the negative impact of growing up in a dysfunctional family and not enough focus on the impact of living within a corrupt political structure. This does not mean psychotherapists need to turn the therapy session into a political discussion and impose their political views on their clients. Yet, therapists need to consider that people develop many psychological problems in societies where they are alienated from nature, each other, and themselves.
Many
LGBTQ people know that the authoritarian dark forces aim to spread hatred and
prejudice by absorbing the light of our democracy. They value economic
expansion over saving our ecosystem. It is important to take responsibility and
do our part to help. The remedy for our current collective challenges is to
embrace the fundamentals of what it means to be a human being, and that is
having empathy. When humanity abandons empathy, their relationship to nature,
each other, and themselves suffer. LGBTQ people are at great advantage to help
change the world by giving voice to the need for embracing love and empathy.
Given
the essence of being gay is love, our activism starts by journeying into the
sacred space in our hearts. Within our heart of hearts, there is a sacred place
that homophobic dictators cannot touch. That is why despite all homophobic
mistreatment many of us have experienced, we can still fall in love. Knowing
that we have a heart along with the ability to embrace empathy can protect us
from helplessness and becoming victims in our current political situation. As
many Sufis and Buddhists stated, “compassion is action.” We need to go deeper
and deeper into the heart and embrace love. The love for America coupled with
our passion to care for Mother Earth vibrates above the forces of archetypal
evil. Our compassion for the Earth and each other is a form of activism that
lets our hearts be in service for humanity. We don’t clash with darkness. We
simply let the power of love rise us above it. This is how we don’t get
entangled in “good versus evil.” This is
how our activism creates a container for the arrival of a new archetypal energy
that can change the world for the better.
For more
articles by Dr. Payam, please click on the following link: https://drpayam.com/articles_and_book
©
Payam Ghassemlou MFT Ph.D. is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
(Psychotherapist) in private practice in West Hollywood, California. www.DrPayam.com
