December 2023

To live in the body of a survivor is to never be able to leave the scene of the crime. I cannot ignore the fact that I live here. 

-Blythe Baird

This Winter season I am more convinced of the need for leaders who can transform our communities.  Why?  In taking care of my mother with dementia, I am realizing more and more deeply the impact of trauma on people. Yes, dementia is difficult, for the person and the community of caregivers, but it is more intense and heartbreaking for those with lots of trauma because they tend to relive it in their minds. They tend to lose connection with reality, so they get stuck in their pain.

So how does a leader fit into this picture? What can a community leader do to alleviate some of the trauma? Isn’t trauma a foregone conclusion since everyone, I mean every single breathing anymal, has been traumatized?! You might be screaming as you pull your hair, “What can a few people do for a broken world?”

I have had moments, sometimes months of doubt, as to whether we can make any lasting change to bring hope to our communities amid all the suffering. Yes, I too have my doubts which is the reason why I cling more to my faith as I age. But when I look at our promising young people and see their visions of worlds yet unseen, I am reminded of Dr. Vincent Harding’s quote, “I am, you are, a citizen of a country that does not yet exist, and that badly needs to exist.” This is a world in which we have less violence, less pain, less poverty, less hate, less injustice, less trauma. Can such a world exist? Well, not if we choose to sit and wish it was different.  Only when we decide and enact to make this world exist, can it become a reality.

We all can and should play a role in creating this country, and our role at Platform is to guide people to understand their unique power in making this country become real.  So this holiday season, think about the little and grand ways in which you can help create this country. And if you’re struggling to know how, then make a commitment to attend and participate in our workshops. You owe it to yourself and to your community. So we are not a community of survivors but a thriving community of victors.

Sam Joo

Nov. 30. 2023