Chief Robert Joseph, hereditary chief of the Gwawaenuk people and survivor of residential school system writes this in his memoir “Namwayut”
“Reconciliation is about forging and maintaining respectful relationships. There are no shortcuts. We must never forget the children who never came home. We must never forget the pain that was inflicted. But we must also remember that healing is possible. That love is possible. That reconciliation is not a destination—it is a way of being.
We are not born hating each other. We are not born with a sense of superiority or inferiority. We are not born with a sense of privilege or entitlement. We are not born with a sense of racism or bigotry. These are learned behaviors. And if we can learn to hate, we can learn to love.”
Love is at the center of all the values we honour and live as a community and as individuals trying to live our best and highest humanity. From the First Nations version of the New Testament, there are words that are echoed in Chief Joseph’s words:
“You must love the Great Spirit from deep within, with the strength of your arms, the thoughts of your mind, and the courage of your heart. This is the first and greatest instruction. The second is like the first: You must love your fellow human beings in the same way you love yourselves.” — Matthew 22:37–39
There are lots of words to describe the spiritual life, the spiritual journey. Love encapsulates so much of it. But how do you get more specific? It might be THE vocabulary word for living expansively, but how do you best describe it? Love, like reconciliation, isn’t a feeling but a practice. How do you live out the love that dwells at the centre of all you are?