The Trickster Reminds Us: Truth Lives in Discomfort. The World Is Shifting – and So Are We

There is a trickster at play—one who speaks untruths to reveal deeper truths, who shifts the world just enough that we no longer recognize what’s in front of us. Some fear the trickster, but he is a messenger: a bringer of uncomfortable truths, a mirror held up to us, a spark for necessary change. The trickster isn’t to be feared. He simply reflects what already lives within us—and reminds us when it’s time to shift.

The world is in constant flux, pulling away from something I recognize. I try to stay grounded—rooted in spirit, heart, and culture—rather than get swept up in every political wave. I protect my energy and my heart. But I’ve watched a change unfold in my field that I can no longer stay silent about: the removal of DEI requirements from the BACB training guidelines.

As an Indigenous BCBA, I know what it means to be underrepresented. Indigenous professionals make up only 0.31% of those certified as BCBAs in this field. That number alone signals the need for change—a need for weaving together worldviews, for compassion, understanding, and building capacity in Indigenous communities.

But the truth is, we’re used to being ignored. We’re used to being undervalued. We’ve grown up with our existence regularly erased.

So how did I feel when I heard the news? Honestly, not surprised. The political climate in the U.S. has paved the way for this. The connections between our field and larger industrial and financial systems are clear.

Still, I root myself in what I know to be true: my people have endured. We have been dismissed, dehumanized, and yet we continue. We carry our culture close. We protect our beauty. We pass on knowledge and connection, often quietly—but always with strength.

And when the time comes to be loud again, we will be. We’ll show you the progress we’ve made, while you sheepishly narrowed your vision and limited your world.

We are survivors of centuries of attempted erasure. This moment? This is just a blip in time.

The shift is coming—discomfort and growth, hand in hand.

Jen