Crossing the Abyss
What is the greatest challenge of standing in solidarity? Jon Huckins of Journey Home reflects that crossing the abyss within us is the first step to understanding and standing by others. Find solidarity grounded in compassion in this timely reflection from September’s We Conspire series.
I’ve lived a life of activism for most of my adult life. I was trained in just peacemaking in seminary and have since trained others to be peacemakers. The way of Jesus is the way of peace.
I’ll never forget standing with our Native American siblings in Standing Rock as they invited us to join them not in “protesting” but in “protecting” the natural gifts of the Creator.
Or marching around the NYPD building after Eric Garner’s murder. In silence and song, we prayed for the walls of systemic racism to fall like those of Jericho.
Or sitting in the West Bank with Palestinian families whose loved ones had been killed or imprisoned as part of the ongoing Israeli military occupation.
Or hearing the stories of peacemaking activists in Jewish settlements trying to build bridges across vast ideological divides.
Or sitting in migrant shelters and holding vigil at detention centers on the border.
“Genuine solidarity and support require us to journey across the abyss separating us from ourselves; otherwise, our support may be nothing more than projecting our need for self-importance onto already vulnerable communities.” – Jon Huckins
This was (and is) holy work. But I found that I could hide from myself in my activism. I could project answers to external conflicts without confronting conflicts within. We all can. If we aren’t fully at home in ourselves, can we offer genuine solidarity and support to others?
Thomas Merton asks, “What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it all the rest are not only useless but disastrous.”
“As activists and peacemakers, our contemplative practices ground us in our inherent Belovedness, liberating us from the need to prove and project and opening the door to relationships of mutuality and solidarity.” – Jon Huckins
Genuine solidarity and support require us to journey across the abyss separating us from ourselves; otherwise, our support may be nothing more than projecting our need for self-importance onto already vulnerable communities. The life of contemplation makes us aware that our value is not tied to our actions. Instead, our actions are an outpouring of our values.
Samuel Perez, my Mexican friend and colleague on the Mexico/U.S. border, often says, “We don’t need your charity; we need your solidarity.” He explains that charity is inherently hierarchical and often a one-off action or encounter. Solidarity is horizontal, arm-in-arm, long-haul relationships of mutuality. As activists and peacemakers, our contemplative practices ground us in our inherent Belovedness, liberating us from the need to prove and project and opening the door to relationships of mutuality and solidarity.
“May we embrace the wisdom of the mystics, who remind us that solidarity can only be embodied as we cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves.” – Jon Huckins
I met Hector and Yolanda ten years ago in Tijuana, soon after their deportation from the United States. Hector organized other deported U.S. military veterans, and Yolanda organized mothers separated from their children by deportation. Neither had any pathway to return to the U.S. and their loved ones, but they held out hope by inviting others to stand with them in solidarity and advocate for a legal pathway to return. In 2018, I embraced Hector as he legally crossed into the U.S.; in 2022, my wife and I did the same with Yolanda. Last week, they sat in our living room, and shared stories of what solidarity means in practice and how we sustain our spirits amid the struggle.
May we embrace the wisdom of the mystics, who remind us that solidarity can only be embodied as we cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves. In doing so, may we journey home to our hearts and contribute to a society where everyone has a home.
Reflect with Us
How do you embody solidarity—first with yourself—and then with others? Share your reflection with us.
Jon Huckins is the founder and director of Journey Home whose work is to heal soul and society through pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago and Mexico-US Border. He is also a PhD candidate in Christian Social Ethics and adjunct professor of New Testament at Point Loma Nazarene University. His writing has appeared in the USA Today, Sojourners, Red Letter Christians and numerous other publications. Jon regularly speaks at churches, universities, conferences and retreats. You can follow John and Journey Home on Instagram.
We Conspire is a series from the Center for Action and Contemplation featuring wisdom and stories from the growing Christian contemplative movement. Sign up for the monthly email series and receive a free invitation to practice each month.