Important in this was discovering the causes of oppression and how to liberate oneself and others from it at different levels, both within oneself and socially. Vicki and Al were very valuable in helping me see the complex interconnections between the personal and the social. They were rare people who saw how to connect the political and the personal and the spiritual. They had the structural analysis. They can show you how the system is oppressive. They know how it works.
I learned parts of this from other people, too. But some people—because they didn’t have things integrated—weren’t as committed to personal growth. They would preach political stuff, but they’d oppress people. There were very few people, even on the good side, who really had it together. But I was fortunate enough to be working with a lot of them.
Next: The Joyous Call