We Are at War: On Structural Violence, Healing, and the Urgent Need for Truth-Telling.

We Are at War—Whether We Name It or Not

Something I’ve been meditating on lately has stirred me deeply.

It feels like every day we are confronted with the sights and stories of violence—genocide, femicide, carceral systems, extra-judicial harm. The scale is overwhelming. The repetition is numbing. And if we’re honest, we are only beginning to scratch the surface of what it will take not just to address it—but to reckon with it, to heal it, and to repair what has been broken.

And I find myself asking:

Do we even yet have the language for the seriousness of what we are facing?

“We Are at War” — Toni Cade Bambara

I’m reminded of Toni Cade Bambara, who, when asked about her responsibility to herself and her audience, said plainly:

“I start with the recognition that we are at war.”

That clarity matters.

Because when you understand the moment you are in, it shapes what you choose to give your energy to. Bambara refused to get lost in foolishness or distraction because she understood the weight of the work before her.

She was concerned with something deeper:

What tools do we have to withstand, rework, and remake the world?

That question is still ours to answer.

Community as a Site of Healing and Preparation

Which leads us to community.

As bell hooks reminds us, community is meant to be loving, healing, and affirming. It is not just a gathering—it is a life-giving space. A place that equips us for the battles we face both personally and globally.

But here’s where my concern sharpens:

We are up against structural violence—systems that harm at scale, repeatedly, and with precision.
And yet, we do not have nearly enough structural healing to meet it.

Not at the level required.
Not with the urgency demanded.
Not even with the language necessary to fully name the crisis.

So What Shall We Do? Tell the Truth.

So what do we do?

Again, I turn to Toni Cade Bambara, who reminds us:

“My responsibility is to tell the truth… the truth works… that which liberates the spirit is joyous.”

Truth-telling is not passive.
It is not soft.
It is not optional.

It is a form of resistance.
It is a pathway to healing.
It is a necessary condition for freedom.

Building Healing Communities in a Time of Crisis

What we need—what we must build—are:

• Healing communities

• Loving communities

• Affirming communities

Spaces where we can tell the truth, carry the weight together, and refuse to turn away from what is before us.

Spaces where we fight without ceasing against oppression, repression, and despair.

This is not theoretical work.
This is survival work.

Why This Work Matters at FlowWell Yoga

More and more, I realize that what we are building at FlowWell Yoga is exactly this kind of community.

A place to tell the truth.
A place to practice justice.
A place to prepare ourselves—body, mind, and spirit—for the world as it is, and the world as it must become.

This is not just yoga.
This is formation.
This is resistance.
This is care.

Do Not Turn Away

These are not easy times.
And the solutions ahead of us will not come easily.

But they will not come at all if we turn away.

We must face what is before us in order to overcome it.
Because the truth is stark:

If we do not do our part, more of us will perish before morning.

Forward, Together—Toward a World Not Yet

There is a mighty work ahead of us.

But we are not alone in it.

We labor together—
for healing,
for justice,
for a world not yet realized.

And we must continue.