I have visceral reactions towards tyranny and oppression. It was not a coincidence that in my current life when I was a kid, I faced the oppressive structure of my culture - teachers, parents, the education system, even peers, were pretty much in the "I say, you do" kinda structure. Except nobody really questioned it.

It is only when I came into the U.S. that I had much time to reflect on my former life (yes, as you play different roles, you can have many lives within a single lifetime). That my parents were wrong, that I was oppressed, and it much explained the severe anxiety that I subsequently developed.

I also had a spiritual reading with a medium years ago, and I was told that in a past life, I was a chief of a tribe. However, the Europeans arrived to my tribe, but I nonetheless extended my hospitality to them. Unbeknown to me after one night, they ransacked my village and then escaped without a trace. I was torn, and I was never the same again - guilt and shame riddled through that lifetime all because I was naive.

This explains the visceral reactions when I see the President and Musk dismantling our government right before our eyes. To me, it is personal. It is ransacking. It is betrayal. The government belongs to us, the people, not the billionaires, not MAGA, not neo-Nazis, not Putin.

I am now committing to learn about spiritual lessons that are relevant, taking care of myself and my family, as well as speaking out when the opportunity arises.