Decolonial Journey 1 – Decolonize myself

I call this a decolonial journey because I view the past differently in light of all I’ve been learning over the years about how insidious colonialism is in White society. I believe this will help me continue this journey to decolonize myself.

I think my decolonial journey began when this Quaker kid, inspired by several Quaker men and their families in my community, refused to participate in the conscription of men for the armed forces. They knew the risks, and many were imprisoned for taking such a step. Other Quakers were led to leave this country because of its increasing militarism, and developed the Monteverde community in Costa Rica.

What could be more ‘colonial’ than participating in the military might of this country against other countries and peoples?

My Quaker friend and mentor, Don Laughlin, was imprisoned for his refusal to participate in military conscription. My mother witnessed his arrest. She was a student at Scattergood Friends School, and Don was on the staff there. The community came together to support his wife, Lois, who also worked at Scattergood at that time, and their newborn son.

This taught me about community support for those who take such risks.

It also taught me the importance of seeking spiritual guidance and then following that leading, regardless of the possible consequences.

I was at Scattergood when I turned eighteen years of age, November 1969, when I was required to register for the draft (Selective Service System). The Vietnam War was raging at the time. I was clearly led to resist the draft. But I learned that the most difficult piece of this was dealing with my family’s great distress at my intention. I never convinced them that I would be morally wounded for life if I betrayed what I was being led to do. It became clear my parents were never going to be comfortable with my decision, so I turned in my draft cards without their support. They did support the idea of my registering as a conscientious objector, which was a ‘safe’ alternative. But it was clearly a way to co-opt people opposed to war while deflecting criticism of the Selective Service System itself.

A Supreme Court decision meant I wasn’t arrested for my draft resistance. My Scattergood School classmate, Daniel Barrett, was imprisoned for his resistance during this time.

Don Laughlin collected stories of “Young Quaker Men Face War and Conscription,” which includes Don’s, Daniel’s, and my stories.

I’ve shared these experiences to illustrate how they laid the foundation for the way I would seek spiritual guidance throughout my life. They also revealed a sobering truth: most people I know have tended to choose the more comfortable path when faced with such moral challenges.

Cars as Weapons of Mass Destruction

My next spiritual adventure occurred when this rural Quaker boy moved to Indianapolis in 1971. I was stunned by how filthy the air quality was. This was before the introduction of catalytic converters, which happened around 1975. I sometimes developed headaches, coughing, and/or nausea when riding my bicycle. I didn’t have a car.

This triggered the spiritual vision of my beloved Rocky Mountains hidden behind clouds of smog. Being a ‘developing’ photographer, I loved to try to capture the beauty of the Rockies. This was prior to digital cameras, of course. So I was only able to take a few photos at a time. The usual number of exposures per roll of film was 12 or 36. On my last trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, I took 1,194 photos over four days. I didn’t know if I would ever return. (Link to those photos from 2017, Colorado 2017 Export v1 )

This is one of my Colorado photos. I developed the film and printed the photo in a makeshift darkroom I would set up in the bathroom.

My spiritual vision was related to this photo, and my fear this would be hidden by clouds of smog if something wasn’t done. I didn’t think it would get that bad, but we didn’t know what would happen if the auto exhaust continued, unchecked, with the increasing number of cars on the roads.

I couldn’t stand to think of that possibility and knew I couldn’t contribute to it, which led to my decision to live my life without a car. That profoundly affected the rest of my life, in many excellent ways.

My story of Cars as Weapons of Mass Destruction was included in the book ‘Explore Sustainable Indiana’ by my environmental activist friends.

Why do I include this in a discussion of colonialism? Because of the horrible devastation inflicted on Mother Earth by the white settler colonists, who see all resources as sources of wealth. To be extracted with no regard to the consequences. The epitome of colonialism.