Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com June 21, 2023 DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 O� T��� - E���� T���! Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 NOW PUBLISHED ONCE/MONTH on the 3rd Wednesday of each month OWNER/EDITOR/PUBLISHER GRAPHIC DESIGN/ AP AR MARKETING EXECUTIVE/CLASSIFIEDS Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE DESIGN Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.DesertMessengerOnline.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2022-23© Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear FREE OBITUARY NOTICES Desert Messenger offers free In Memoriam notices. You can include a photo of your loved one at no charge. Please email a short biog- raphy of the deceased and photo to editor@DesertMessenger.com. or call Rain at 928-916-4235. QUARTZSITE ROCKS! EDITORIAL No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. ~Nelson Mandela LETTERS TO EDITOR POLICY Desert Messenger encourages letters from its readers. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, and may be edited for grammar, content and length. OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE DESERT MESSENGER. We invite you to not only see a problem, but search for the solution to share with the community, keeping the benefit of all in mind. Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published. Third party letters will not be accepted. To avoid confusion over people with common or similar names, writers must provide a full name and indicate the name they are known by. Writers must provide a full street address and phone number. Rvers can provide the location of park/BLM land, etc. Street addresses will not be published. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Send letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 When used in prayer, Mitakuye Oyasin is a petition to the Creator on behalf of everyone and every- thing on Earth. As some Navajo people say, "We are related because we share the same breath. We are related because we are from the same place. We are related because we are. What is, is." Fear can inform your life without ruling it. Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision. Are you feeding faith or feeding fear? Again, this comes down to what you're choosing to fo- cus on; the problem, or the solution. You can give into your fears and live in the worry, pain and stress of ev- erything that's wrong… OR you can dive into your focus and seize the moment by doing everything you can with all that is available to you in this very moment. Both options are available. What happens next will be based on which option you choose. "All things share the same breathe – the beast, the tree, the man. The air shares its spirt with all the life it supports." ~ Chief Seattle DEADLINE : WED. JU LY 1 2 TH for July 19 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com All religions teach us to look after each other. However, recently in this Pride Month, I've seen many social media posts and crazy arti- cles online focusing on fear, instead of trying to understand others. Remember when songs used to have some deeper poetic or spiri- tual meaning? In the late 1960s, Joe South wrote the song "Walk a Mile in My Shoes." It was fi rst sung by Joe South and the Believers in 1970 and shortly thereafter covered by Elvis Presley. The line in the song that resonates with me goes like this: "Yeah, before you abuse, criticize and accuse, walk a mile in my shoes." But this actually goes even further back and is often cred- ited to Native American tribes and their linguistic traditions. The fi rst written reference might be from an 1895 poem by Mary T. Lathrap called "Judge Softly." In it she says, "Walk a mile in his moccasins" and challenges the reader to see things from the other's perspective. There is so much fear being put out there! Our kids are listening, folks! Fear of others not like yourselves. Fear of government control. Fear of the "Great Replacement theory." Fear of collectivisim, socialism, or food shortages… you name it, some- one will be afraid of it. What con- cerns me is when folks turn those fears into acts of hatred or violence such as recent mass shootings; in- cluding people of color, LGBTQ+ people, Jews, Muslims, etc. So, take a breath! Big from the bel- ly. When we walk into a room, we all share the same air. We breathe to- gether. Over the past few years, we took measures to keep each other safe. It was never about "losing your rights, your individualism, or mak- ing you a slave!" It is about doing what is best for the community as a whole, because what you do affects everyone else. That's how commu- nity works. Just like a virus spreads, so does love and acceptance. Mitakuye Oyasin is a phrase from the Lakota language. It refl ects the view of interconnectedness held by the Lakota people of North Ameri- ca. It means that all living things are connected to each other. It means what you do affects me and what I do affects you.

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