The first challenge in countering racism is simply saying “yes” to the journey and leaving our known world and going forth into a great deal of unknown. When we do, we encounter three natural barriers right at the beginning of the journey as well as six more barriers on the path.
Right at the beginning we must get past what are called the “guardians of the threshold” in the myths of the heroic journey. Their purpose in the myths is to turn back the hero figure if he or she isn’t ready for the journey. Getting past these three guardians is the first major test. They will be there if we commit to countering racism.
The Three Guardians
These guardians simply come naturally, and we must deal with them to get in the game.
There are Basically Four Steps in Dealing with these Guardians:
If we successfully get past the three “guardians of the threshold” there is a common set of six other barriers to action that we encounter on the path.
The impact of these barriers varies from individual to individual. Just like the three guardians, these barriers are normal and natural and need to be addressed directly in order to get past them. Fortunately, there are ways to do that for each barrier.