Spiritual Activism

I am a humanitarian and a passionate activist and advocate of human rights.

And, like many before me including the Buddha himself, I see this role as a living expression of Yoga and of the Dharma.

When our commitment to inner peace is sincere, it naturally leads us to advocate for outer peace – for on a fundamental level there is no separation. There is no ‘inner and outer’ or no ‘us and them.’ There is only our common Presence, our common humanity and our common desire for freedom, happiness and peace. We’re all in this together.

Therefore an injustice to some, is an injustice to all. And whether we choose to act or not to act, we must be aware that we are always contributing to the collective consciousness.

As the Bhagavad Gita says: “yoga is skill in action.” An invaluable way to make a positive contribution towards the greater good of humanity, is to attune our moral compass to wherever there is injustice – and commit to taking mindful and skilful action, within our capacity and circle of influence, to counter that injustice.

“The human race is suffering from its ego-born narrow-mindedness. Discrimination exists, based on religion, colour and nationality. As long as these man-made divisions exist in our society, there is no hope for peace or happiness. True freedom means loving all and hating none, including all and excluding none. For cultivating the true human within, we have to reach out to the hearts of our fellow human beings. Political treaties and alliances are of little value. Removing differences and moving from diversity to unity are the essence of real spiritual practices. This process has to occur at every level of our individual and social lives. There has to be a desire in every human heart to overcome mutual differences that have been artificially imposed by selfish political, social and religious leaders.” ~ Swami Rama

I take inspiration from great leaders like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, who integrated spirituality and activism. All three fought for social justice with an insistence on truth and non-violence.

I am committed to calling-out injustice and to taking action, both individually and collectively, on behalf of oppressed and minority groups. And rather than the sadness or despair you might expect, doing this work brings deeper joy, meaning and purpose to my life.

How to begin the spiritual activism journey.

The spiritual activism journey requires radical honesty and it begins on a personal level.

Regardless of your nationality, religion or upbringing, it’s important to to take an honest look at your social privilege and power. Start by researching and learning the truth about the history of the land where you were raised (or reside) to understand the plight of the indigenous people. Who are the marginalised ‘others’? Become conscious of the social, racial and cultural conditioning that you have been exposed to – as well as how your ignorance has (most likely unconsciously) contributed to the injustice of any minority groups.

You must be willing to listen directly to the hearts and voices of the minority groups around you – those from diverse races, cultures, religions and circumstances – to hear their stories and to question the narratives you have been taught to believe.

And you must be willing to feel angry, ashamed or uncomfortable and to do the inner work to integrate that discomfort.

Spiritual activism work becomes powerful when it is founded on understanding, love and unity – rather than separation and projections of personal anger.

For example, my own journey looks like this. Living in Western Australia, I recognise that I am part of a privileged, middle-class, predominantly white society who live with material comfort. Aboriginal people comprise about 5% of the population and are the traditional, first nations owners of the land where I was born and live. Prior to my 30s, I was ignorant about white privilege and the true impacts and suffering impacts of white settler colonialism on Aboriginal people. It took me several years to process the utter shame and anger I felt, and to stand against the racism that was alive in my own family. Integration has been key. In more recent years, getting to know Aboriginal elders and learning the truth about the ‘White Australia Policy’ and the horrendous Aboriginal massacres, genocide and the stolen generation that has been prolific across Western Australia, has enabled me to feel informed, as well as motivated to speak up and to take action on behalf of Aboriginal injustice.

I get that it’s convenient to ‘turn a blind eye’ to the devastating human impacts that racism, colonialism, capitalism and imperialism, continue to have in our modern world. But as we know in Yoga, ignorance is not bliss!

So how about you? Chances are if you’re reading this, that you’re interested in being an advocate for human rights and justice.

What are the universal human rights?

Human rights are based on principles of dignity, equality and mutual respect, that is shared across continents, cultures, religions and philosophies. They are about being treated fairly, treating others fairly and having the ability to make genuine choices in our daily lives.

Following the traumatic events of World War II, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations in 1948. It has been translated into over 500 languages. It sets out 30 Articles outlining the basic rights and freedoms that are the same for every man, woman and child across the world, from birth to death, that no government can deny or take away.

For example, Article 1 states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

Human rights belong to each of us. It’s up to each of us to take responsibility to uphold and defend them, especially in these times of vast inequality and unprecedented change.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes:

• Ethical Rights – the right to dignity, self-determination, sovereignty, liberty and security; to not be held in slavery; to not be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
• Women’s Rights – rights and freedoms applied to women without discrimination, including equal pay for equal work, the right to health, education and equal rights in marriage.
• Indigenous People’s Rights – because of their unique position as first peoples of their nations and the common issues of colonisation and oppression, Indigenous people are vulnerable to discrimination and mistreatment. Indigenous people have the right to be free from genocide and forced removal from their land. Their rights also include the rights to practice, speak and teach their native language and customs, to live on the land of their ancestors and to look after sacred sites.
• Legal Rights – the right to have freedom from detention; freedom from inhumane treatment in detention; to seek justice; to have a fair trial and to have legal representation.
• Social Rights – the right to education; to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; to movement within your country and to return home; the right to privacy; the right to non-discrimination based on gender, marital status, sexual orientation and race etc.
• Religious and Cultural Rights – the right to participate in cultural activities; the right to practice and worship and the freedom to peacefully express, those beliefs or religion.

Interestingly, women delegates from various countries including Hansa Mehta of India and Eleanor Roosevelt played a key role in getting women’s rights included. And for changing the phrases from “all men” to “all human beings.”

Article 29 also states that we all have a responsibility to the people around us and that we should protect their rights and freedoms.

Human rights issues to get involved in

In 2024, Amnesty International reports “there is a stark betrayal of human rights principles by today’s leaders and institutions” – therefore the urgency for citizens like you and me to play our part in social justice has never been greater.

I’m currently involved in advocating for the human rights of Indigenous Australians and of Palestinian people. Below you can read and learn more.

Indigenous Australian Rights

Before one can effectively support Indigenous Australians, it’s important to understand the challenges they face. They have also experienced a long history of discrimination and marginalisation. This has contributed to ongoing social and economic disparities such as high rates of poverty, poor health outcomes, low levels of education and high employment.

If you live in Western Australia, a good place to start is by understanding about Noongar boodja (country), culture and the history and impacts of the stolen generation. Truth-telling and reconciliation are long overdue.

Aboriginal people in Western Australia have among the highest incarceration rates and mortality rates in the western world. This is perpetually traumatising for Aboriginal families. Putting an end to the systemic, over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people in WA’s justice system will have better outcomes for the whole community.

I highly recommend watching the documentary film Genocide in the Wildflower State.

To learn more about Noongar culture go to Kaartdijin Noongar. To learn about and join the campaigns for Aboriginal justice go to Social Reinvestment WA and for reconciliation go to Reconciliation WA.

“The land is my mother. Like a human mother, the land gives us protection, enjoyment and provides our needs economic, social and religious. We have a human relationship with the land: Mother, daughter, son. When the land is taken from us or destroyed, we feel hurt because we belong to the land and we are part of it.” ~ Djinyini Gondarra

Palestinian Rights

Since 1967 the Palestinian people have live under the longest, illegal military occupation by the State of Israel in human history. Their suffering did not begin with the Gaza war in 2023.

Palestinians are the Indigenous Arab people of the Levant region, and they have been denied their rights to live freely on their land and to return their homeland. They are denied most basic human rights including legal representation, medical care, voting, living free of genocide and forced removal as well as the denial of self-determination. There are around 15,000 Palestinian people living in Australia who also suffer many of these denials of human rights.

To learn more and support Palestinian human rights go to the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Office.

You can also follow the Instagram page I have created called Heart of Truth for Palestine that honours Palestinian voices, culture and truth.

Thank you for reading through this page. It is crucial for ordinary people like you and me to speak out against human rights violations because this is how we keep governments and leaders across the world accountable.

Together our voices are powerful. Yet we must also be patient and be prepared to persevere.

Together we can be the force for change that the world needs – until everyone’s human rights, dignity and freedom is recognised and realised. We must never give up on peace. And we must live for the highest possibility of ‘world peace’ that we can conceive.