What Kool Aid Are You Drinking?

I may be going out on a limb, but anyone who grew up in the 1950s - 1970's probably had some exposure to Kool Aid -- whether the drink, the television ads, or the change in what Kool Aid meant.  For my family, Kool Aid was more economical than cans or bottles of soda pop.  On special occasions, one of us got to pick her or his favorite Kool Aid flavor for that meal.

Kool Aid began in 1927 and lasted through the Depression, World War II, the unrest of the '60s... and has evolved into the products sold today.

What "flavor" of ideas do you listen to?
(Photo credit:  Kool Aid)

But, it was an event in Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978 that transformed "What Kool Aid are you drinking?" to "Drinking the Kool Aid."  What was once a childhood drink became an expression symbolizing extreme dedication to a cause or purpose... to the point of dying for that cause.

I wonder why my mind has been fixated on Kool Aid this week?  I've moved on from that sugary, artificially-flavored thirst quencher to more healthy options.  I think...

Who do you tend to "follow" in your media sources?
(Photo credit:  Jim Jones, Wikipedia)

Maybe it's the COVID-isolation of the past several months or events of recent weeks that raises doubt in my mind.  Even though I see myself as a good and honorable person, I wonder:

• Have I become indifferent to the pain and suffering of others?
• Have I noticed when someone has been marginalized?
• Are there ideas I have accepted that hurt other human beings? 

Maybe these are questions all of us are being asked to consider.  That is, when have we been complicit in a society that excludes rather than includes.

In what ways do you reach beyond your views?
(Photo credit:  Pike County Hands of Hope)

Whether or not joining a public protest is an option due to COVID concerns, each of us is called to change the systemic injustices that we have blindly accepted.

Self dialogue and external conversations will help us explore the kool aid we have been drinking, the various flavors that have poisoned our Ways of Thinking and Being in this complicated world.  Rather than barricading ourselves behind conclusions we hold dear, it is time to reach out and seek understanding of another person's experience.

In these tough times we are being asked to dismantle our human-created systemic -isms and envision a future where we grasp each others' hands for love and support.

Let peace -- and justice -- begin with me!

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)