My dear friends, family, readers, and beautiful souls, ** You fit in multiple categories above ^^ **
I have written and rewritten this blog post so many times that I have lost count. I wanted to share my findings at this early point within my research, my readings, and these priceless podcasts that have all brought such wisdom and insight to the table. I have especially loved that there have been the SAME THREADS of knowledge that weave throughout everything that I have read and listened to so far! Which must mean that they are facets of life and perceptions worth exploring and applying, if we wish to live a fulfilling life and become the best versions of ourselves.
I promise to share these VERY valuable tidbits of information in my upcoming blog posts very soon.
Today, I would just like to ask a few questions and allow quotes and memes, that I have discovered from other friends and various sources, to provide perspective. This post is not meant to create controversy, anger, or conflict. Rather, it is meant to self-check, to pay attention to your own reactions to these questions, and to be honest with yourself. For me, these quotes and memes made me think MIC DROP after every single one and reaffirm what I believe to be such true concepts. 🎤
1) Do you take responsibility for your own life and the reality you have in front of you? Do you self-reflect or find blame to pass around when you need answers?
2) Do you believe that you are perfectly imperfect, knowing that you make mistakes and that you are willing to make amends for those mistakes? Or do you feel that you’re above apologies and reparations, even if you hurt other people by your actions?
3) Do you believe that changing yourself could change the world around you? When you hear the quote “Be the change you want to see in the world,” what feelings come to mind?
This quote is attributed to Gandhi, though he did not actually say these words. Rather, his words went to the very heart of the matter, to something MUCH deeper.
by josephranseth, Aug 27, 2015; Blogs, Main Content
* In case it was too small to read, here is the actual quote for you to read a bit easier. It’s so powerful and significant, why not read it twice?
“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do. ” – Mahatma Gandhi
4) This next question brings me to the lyrics found in a Shinedown song, called “How did you love?”
-How we forget ourselves, lose our way from the cradle to the grave
You can’t replicate or duplicate, gotta find your own way
The one thing you leave behind
Is how did you love, how did you love?
. . . . . . #RefuseToHate
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I have not done enough in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. I know that I have to do better. I know that I want to do better. I want to learn and educate myself so I can better understand the point of view of the black experience and therefore be a better ally.
Thank you to my friend, Colleen, for providing some resources to do just that.
Colleen also led me to Rachel Cargle, an activist, public academic, writer and lecturer:
Rachel Cargle is an influential figure who facilitates critical discourse and conversations with people all over the world with regards to many topics, including breaking down and understanding the history of racism found in many American systems. Her articles and posts have shown me how little I actually know and how much I want to be a part of the solution.
I will show up. I will ask questions. I will falter and make mistakes AND I will apologize and learn from these mistakes. Because I recognize that I can be a contribution. That I take responsibility for myself and for the ways that I choose to react to circumstances outside of myself. And I will continue to gain knowledge and understanding in order to be a better ally and supporter of the black community and those who are marginalized.
In closing, thank you so much for being here. I wish that I had more answers, since I have very few. The questions that I posed at the beginning of this post were meant for each of us to take a moment of introspection and look within as a start to these answers that we need. Though there are hundreds more questions that require answers…
We have the power to change because we have the power to change ourselves. My final thought-provoking questions: How can we be a major contribution to this world and to the crisis state of the USA today? How can we band together to change the systemic racism that continues to plague our country?
I will ask myself these questions as I use the resources above in order to learn as much as I can. What I do know is dismantling and then reconstructing this system is long overdue and we have to do it TOGETHER.
Until next time – – – ❤️❤️❤️