Embracing the Stillness
The several-hour hike up the fertile, sloped ledges of the mountain northeast of Bogotá to reach Laguna de Guatavita bloomed into a personal pilgrimage with each step and breath. Reaching the top of the slope, looking down into the sacred lagoon of the native Muiscas, and pausing for reflection in profound stillness, I felt deeply connected not only to myself and the land, to my group and to the history and pain of Colombia, but to all situations where communities trust in faith and hope in the face of condemnation and fear.
Our service immersion group from DePaul University met with displaced communities, absorbed the contrasts of Colombia – between the wealth of the north and the poverty of the south, the security of government complexes and the fields of burning refuse that displaced farmers call home - and engaged with organizations that work to challenge the dominant narratives that have fostered decades of internal strife. The voices of those affected by the conflict (between the Colombian government, guerillas, drug cartels, and armed paramilitary groups) and those seeking to end it echoed not only with a deep pain and sadness, but also a resounding hope.
As a religious studies major and an interfaith leader, I was very interested in the religious culture of the country. Religious strife is not a primary cause of conflict in Colombia, and most strikingly, I found that many Colombians use their faith as a springboard for action and a way of challenging these narratives of conflict, much as the faith-based organizations we encountered were working as primary agents of healing in the country.
The organizations we encountered, often affiliated with the Catholic Church or other faith communities, stood as vanguards of hope to the disenfranchised of Bogotá. These organizations provided shelter and networking resources to recently displaced farmers, offered community organizing strategies for poor laborers, worked to combat sexism and sex trafficking of Colombian women, and provided legal resources to impoverished and illegal communities facing existential threat. With each passing day, I felt more attuned to the work of these organizations, each inspired by the spiritual narratives that drove these quests for peace and reconciliation.
As I reflect on the state of our world at the turn of the year, our world faces a pivotal moment. Economic, political, and ecological crises seem to increasingly threaten our human unity, our potential to serve our neighbors in times of great duress. In the face of such tumultuous times, faith communities must increasingly challenge systems of injustice and oppression in our world. While this is a task that many faith communities and spiritual leaders have pursued for many years, faith communities must continue to instill narratives of love, stillness and reconciliation into the dominant dialogues of oppression, individualism, and greed.
Faith communities have the power to serve as direct agents of change and challenge to these destructive narratives. I experienced this in Colombia, and it exists in many corners of the world. Faith communities must continue to stand strong against injustice, greed and oppression, and in doing so seek to bend the wider consciousness of society toward social action and social justice.
In retrospect, I consider my entire immersion in Colombia as a metaphorical journey to Laguna de Guatavita, as a reflective reminder of my own calling as a young spiritual individual. There are refreshing and deeply beautiful wells of faith and love that exist in the world, an infinite power to transform and ignite the world in vigor. Such a well must often be reached, however, through a hard and painful ascendance. Once we have reached the well, will we but bask in its beauty and peace, or will we use that stillness as a source of strength to descend back into the wilderness?
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