I am a human being. Nothing that is human is foreign to me.

🪷 Reiki with kindness, love & hope

Maya Angelou gave an evening lecture at the University of Redlands in the early 1990s and the event was open to the public. My best friend, Norm, and I arrived early. As the theater filled with people, I felt beads of sweat drip behind my knees. I gently placed I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings under my seat so I could dab my knee pits with my skirt. And then she arrived on stage and the room honored her with silence.

I was transfixed. Sharing this moment with Dr. Angelou felt rare and reverent. I reached for Norm’s hand and squeezed it.

As she spoke, I absorbed her message, her graceful confidence, her thoughts on empathy and — in a moment of impulse — I rummaged for a Sharpie and inscribed a quote on my thigh near my knee.

“I am a human being. Nothing that is human is foreign to me.”

Dr. Angelou said the quote was written by a man in Ancient Rome who had once been a slave. (Thanks to the Internet, I know the quote is attributed to the poet / playwright, Terrence.)

A slave born 2,219 years ago and living in the brutality of Ancient Rome summoned the empathy to write this timeless message¹ that resonates deeply within me today. His words ground me in humanity:

  TODAY:
  The chaos is relentless. 
  I feel panic.

      I am a human being. 
      Nothing that is human is foreign to me. 

Looking back on Dr. Angelou’s guidance in no way means that I do not see the brazen abuse of power escalating before eyes. I see clearly. I name it and isolate its roots.

By Clinton Library - William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Public Domain.

Breathing deeply, I try to soothe the panic. Breathing helps but I need more.

I look to my ancestors for help. My Jaja (grandfather) fought the Nazis in World War II. He fought for the liberty and safety of people that he did not know. As an unarmed medic, he saw unspeakable atrocities and still managed to lead with love. I remind myself that love is stronger than hate.

  People have been othered and erased. 
  It's hard to love those complicit in othering.

I close my eyes and place both hands over my heart. I talk with my Jaja:

Jaja, how did you do it? It’s so hard to love. I try not to hate. I do. Help me.

Jaja, my grandfather.

And that’s when I hear the music in my mind: Praying for Time by George Michael from his 1990 album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1.

My tears flow without resistance, falling from my cheeks to my shirt like salty gifts that clean my eyes.

It's hard to love
There's so much to hate ²

I hear the lyrics in my mind and I feel seen.

Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of ³

I AM hanging on to hope and I believe hope remains.

I KNOW hope remains.

Jaja did not give up hope. He did the work and he held on to hope.

The Nazis were evil, he told me in the years before he died (when he was able to speak about the war). The Nazis were evil, but the German people were kind. Even in the worst times, we helped them. We helped each other. We shared food. People are good, Lori.

Jaja served on D-Day (and experienced the horror we see in Saving Private Ryan). Jaja served in the Ardennes (known for Battle of the Bulge documented in Band of Brothers).

Even in the thick of World War II, he gave medical attention to injured enemy soldiers.

I will always hold on to hope. (Even in the story of Pandora’s Box, Hope remains.)

🪷I light a candle, say a prayer, and send Reiki to all people who need kindness, love and hope.🪷

Thank you Maya Angelou, Terrence, George Michael and Jaja. You guys have been a great team for me today. I am grateful.

1. The Internet search pulled up videos of Maya Angelou using the quote in her lectures. In addition, the words in the quote vary slightly in articles that reference Terrence. In this post, I use the quote as inscribed on my thigh. (I wish I had taken a picture; life was documented differently before camera phones.)

2. George Michael, “Praying for Time.” Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, 1990.

3. George Michael, “Praying for Time.” Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, 1990.