On this episode of Living Myth, Michael Meade addresses how “…the callous death of yet another unarmed black man at the hands of police has torn the age-old wound of racism open and revealed the process of dehumanization in American culture.”
During the same time that videos of Tyre Nichols being brutally beaten by police were released to the public, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida was cynically attacking African American study courses that are critical for understanding the pervasive and deadly effects of systemic racism. Surprisingly, during the same moment of crisis the world's largest organization of geneticists made a public apology for its role in promoting eugenics, the false theory used to claim that one race is biologically superior to all others.
The apology from geneticists came amidst a rise in hate crimes and mass killings, often inspired by false narratives of white supremacy. It came after the Human Genome Project produced a scientific consensus that all humans worldwide carry 99.9% of the same genetic material while sharing a common origin about 300,000 years ago in Africa.
As human beings we live and we die in the context of the stories we tell about ourselves and the world. The acknowledgement and apology for condoning and promoting a false idea and belief about the nature of humanity can be seen as a step on the path of learning at what can be a turning point in our mutual story on the road of awakening and healing.
Humanity is not a cloak that one group of people can claim or deny to others. Humanity is the word we use for people as a whole, as in “we the people” and all the people on earth. If some people are denied their part in the whole, that leads to a deterioration of the whole and a diminishing of all the people. We are being called upon to use the essential threads of our own lives to reweave a culture that becomes genuinely inclusive of all of humanity.
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LISTENER COMMENTS
“I cannot recommend this podcast more highly. It is true art/poetry/story medicine and an antidote for the divisive messages surrounding us.”
"I'm so grateful to have found this podcast. The way Michael Meade weaves myth and applies it to the current times we live in really helps me to navigate the challenges I've faced."
"The wisdom and deep perspective that flows through Michael Meade is medicine for me in these times of radical change and uncertainty."