STOP TALKING AND FEEL

I was in a large gymnasium-size room with 400 women, men, children and babies, all from different countries and cultures. Different colors. Different languages. Some had paid their own way to this Howard University site in Washington, D.C. Others were flown here by the generosity of others who had donated money so all economic groups could be represented. People fresh from war-torn countries, still angry and terrified, came together with others that lived in violence, terror-free areas of the world.

We were all here for this ten-day World Work event to provide a safe space and time for people angry, divided, and who may have perceived each other as enemies, to find a common ground to hear each other, and potentially come together beyond rage and
so-called justified hatred.

For ten days, people, sometimes chaotically, screamed, cried and yelled at each other. For many an involved observer, the experience was chilling and emotionally disturbing. By the tenth day, last hour, with anger still filling the air, a young tall African American man from California - a man prior to this day, simply an observer, took an instinctive action. Hearing the loud voices of anger and the ongoing "talking" debates for so many days, he did something unexpected, and spontaneous, not only to others, but to himself as well. This man, Michael Jones, had always been exquisitely sensitive to how people in the world are treated. Fairness and justice seemed to drive him. On this day, his heart took charge, overriding any self-doubt, hesitation or need to impress anyone.

Michael swiftly and intentionally walked into the center of the 400 people, some seated, other standing in emotionally heated positions. Once in the center, he stood tall and screamed with great emotion and feeling, "Stop talking and feel! Stop talking and feel!!" His voice filled the gymnasium. At that moment, his voice, wherever it came from, was bigger than God, bigger than my perception of the universe.

The room dissolved into silence. A minute passed. A sobbing sound came from the back of the room. Soon, more and more people began to sob, cry and wail. Women, men and children began to slowly move towards the center of the room, tears flowing, the sound of raw, real feelings filling the room. Now hundreds of people were huddled together, most of them unknown to each other, arms around each other, crying together. No more talk. No more anger.

Michael joined them. Later, as he sat in the hallway by himself, people came to huddle around Michael to know him, to thank him. All he could do is say thank you and shed tears.