This week on the ReRooted Podcast, Francesca speaks with Timothy Patrick McCarthy about bringing awareness to the full truth of America’s history and how understanding the past can make wise action in the present possible.
Timothy Patrick McCarthy is an award-winning scholar, teacher, public servant, and social justice activist who holds a joint faculty appointment in Harvard’s undergraduate honors program in History and Literature, the Graduate School of Education, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Keep up with Timothy on Twitter: @DrTPM
Recognizing America’s Multitudes
What relationship does America’s history of genocide and slavery have with the current difficulties our society is facing today? Timothy and Francesca discuss how this recognization relates to our mindfulness practice. Together they look at how we can take a “both/and” approach to honoring America’s history genuinely.
“Often times people think this is depressing. We don’t want to tell the story of slavery or indigenous displacement or genocide. We don’t want to tell that story because it gets in the way of the more celebratory story of America as this place of freedom. I think that if we don’t tell that story alongside those other narratives then we are deluding ourselves. We are telling ourselves a lie in order to get us to have love for our country. If love for country is rooted in a series of lies, then that love is untrue.” – Timothy Patrick McCarthy
The Intersection of Past Present and Future (19:45)
How does understanding the past help us lean into wise action in the present? Timothy reflects on the importance of contemplative practice in making space within ourselves for wise action.
Explore Martin Luther King’s vision of the future with Dr. Omid Safi on Ep. 11 of the Sufi Heart Podcast
What’s Next? (41:10)
Timothy shares an inspirational reflection on the potential for us to move forward together as a society with consideration and compassionate action.
“History can help us understand that there is a precedent for real progressive social change. On the other hand, history also allows us to understand that no one person, movement or generation is going to fix everything. In a sense, it should manage our expectations down to a more realistic set of things that we can accomplish in our lifetime.” – Timothy Patrick McCarthy
