Walk into a retail store, sales associate walks towards me and says, very loudly and slowly;
•DO YOU NEED HELP??? (She made a lot of hand movements)
•I looked at her puzzled and I thought, “Awwww, they hire the challenged.” I told her loudly and slowly “I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE REGARDING AN ORDER I PLACED” (all communication lessons teach you to emulate the speaker, so I was, I also wanted to make sure she got me to the right person)
•OH! , she said startled; “You speak English”
•Oh I said inside me, you really are challenged.
PLOP!!!
Talking to a mom from my children’s school,
•“I am so happy that you made it over here and not have to be underprivileged anymore, I mean, that’s horrible and you don’t even talk Mexican anymore, you learned American”
(visibly counting from ten to 1, about a thousand times, in Mexican and American)
PLOP! PLOP!!
Talking to someone on the phone regarding education.
•“Yes I was granted a full scholarship, it was great, I am so very grateful” I said
•He said “Ah! Yes, you people always get the good ones!!!”
PLOP!
Talking to someone about my children
•“Wow! Your son has green eyes and he can definitely pass for American, you are so lucky!!!”
(Can someone please explain to this person that there are whiter people than her in Peru and that my father had green eyes too…. geeeez?)
PLOP! PLOP! PLOP!!
“So how did you get here? “asked someone
“I drove here; I live about three blocks from here.”
“No!!!! I mean when you came to America…”
“I was born in America, South America…”
“Hehehe!! You are so cute; no I meant like here in America, the country, USA, you know…”
(No I don’t, please tell me, this is just more writing material for me…)
PLOP!!!
I called a store to verify that my order had arrived (another, different store) I spoke to the lady and she said that everything was there, and thank you so much for placing this order and we are so glad that we could do this for you, you are our best customer EVER, etc, etc, etc (you know the deal) I am leaving the box in the store but to the side in case I am with a customer when you come in, you don’t have to wait for me . Sounds great, thank you
I walk into the store and proceed to reach towards my large box that was waiting there with my name on it, She RAN towards me and asked if she could help me, I told her my name and I told her that I was getting my box. She said she was sorry, she could not tell that I was a foreigner on the phone and she wanted to make sure I wasn’t stealing.
PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! PLOP!
Ok, I don’t get it.
I came, I learned the language, I assimilated, and I did everything that was asked of me, I moved away from large metropolis and learned more and became more immersed in the culture. Aside from my looks there is absolutely NOTHING that should create this wedge, this reaction, AT ALL.
But more often than not, the one that plays the race card is you!
You bring up the fact that I am different, that I came from somewhere else, that I eat different, that I dance different, Holly Moly, you have even mentioned that we walk different.
If you are constantly bringing it up, how do you expect me to put it aside???
You know if you are constantly going to remind me of what I already know then please don’t blame me when I take advantage of the constant mention of my differences.
So here are some facts, just FYI….
Hispanics are the largest ethnic minority; there are 45.4 million of us, comprising 15% of the current population in the United States. How does this number grow so considerably you may ask? Aside from the fact that Hispanics reproduce like rabbits, like you have mentioned so many times?
Well, let me explain it… SLOWLY….
In a mixed family, one of the parents usually fills out the demographic information about the children. Someone who is a minority is more aware of what a census does and how it affects you, therefore, Hispanic parents in a multiracial family will usually opt for choosing Hispanic. I heard the Italians didn’t do it that way, we are still growing strong.
Although we are expected to assimilate, this generation of immigrants has not had to compromise and be as isolated from its original home. Thanks to the technological advances that have been developed we can read the newspaper from home on the internet, we can chat using the webcam with family and we can download our music from every venue available. Our foods infuse the market and find their way into your favorites and thrive in places that don’t even have a large Hispanic population. Importing of our favorite foods is now commonly available at mainstream grocery stores and we have our own package in the cable company. This current generation of Hispanics has also created a bridge to older Hispanics who had isolated themselves from their original culture in order to assimilate, no longer necessary.
Everyone complaints that we should speak English but I swear that WE did not translate the forms in the government; we didn’t hire the bilingual people. We didn’t twist anyone’s arm to make the little announcement in Spanish in all public places. We didn’t create the laws that you say lead us to be lazy and a leech in society. As a matter of fact, you did. You wanted us to be able to pay taxes so you translated the forms, you wanted to be able to cater to Hispanic customers and attract the Hispanic dollar, so you hired the bilinguals, you wanted us to go to your amusement parks and other tourist attractions to spend our money so you made the announcements in Spanish too. There are only 26 Hispanics in the House of Representatives and 3 in the Senate, you passed the laws for things in Spanish, you agreed to this. It is good business, it was a strategic decision, your lawmakers saw that, we can see that, why can’t you see that??? Therefore, it was your own actions that perpetuated this situation or those of your elected officials; I think there is no room for complaints.
Most of us came here with the hope and dream of a better tomorrow, to work and to build with our own hands the type of life that you said was achievable here. We came here despite the borders and sacrifice of leaving everything we knew behind and we built our own version of “the dream” with the same passion and drive that allowed us to walk away from our home.
But a little bit of home will always live in us. There will always be song in our existence, whether it is a ranchera or salsa or reggaeton or a CD of boleros, the music will always be loud and where there are two or more of us listening to that music, there will always be dancing. Our food will always permeate the neighborhoods, reminding us and pulling us from every corner and set us running towards home. Soccer will always inspire hysterical behavior in most of us and will have even the most level headed person screaming to cheer on his team.
And of course, not all of you see us as the reason for the fall of modern society, not all of you act as though we are responsible for the growing cancer in communities, not all of you think that we have taken your jobs, your homes, your opportunities and your dreams. Not all of you feel as though we have usurped your right to prosper, not all of you blame us for global warming, well, you get my drift. Not all of you; thank the Goddess. We know who you are too, yes, we can tell. We can tell when you are really open-minded and tolerant and when you are ACTING like you are open-minded and tolerant.
Also, just because we don’t speak the language and we had to come here, doesn’t mean we are ignorant, doesn’t mean we are uneducated and doesn’t mean we don’t understand everything else that you are not saying.
Yes, there are trouble makers, there are people who break the law and who get in trouble and who will make the wrong choice. But then again, there are those in all societies despite their background. We know you catch them, we know you look for them, and we know you get to them sometimes even before they have done something. Its ok, we know. We have come to expect it.
Because if you think that the profiling defines us, you are mistaken. We want to assimilate, in the sense that we want to be able to function in this environ, to prosper and to create a better life for ourselves and our children but there are things that we refuse to relinquish. There are things that are ingrained, coded into our DNA and we cannot deny.
We are a different people. We work hard but we also play hard and our traditions and our culture are as much part of us as the color of our skin and our blood type. So if you have to profile us, if you have to generalize us and categorize us and discriminate us and stereotype us, that’s ok. Most of us have figured out by now that your segregationist and separatist ideas define you, not us.
So from deep in the heart of the Midwest, from Ohio, the heart of it all, I raise my bottle of Cristal, eating my mango, blasting Wisin y Yandel, in a kitchen full of reggaeton dancers, where we celebrate the fourth of July and Veintiocho de Julio, where we do Christmas and Nochebuena, where our lullabies have tropical sounds, and our culture becomes part of my children who then will pass it on to their children, I celebrate the human element that unite us but also the differences that make us unique, and wish you lots and lots of peace pero sobretodo.. ..mucho, mucho AMOR!!!!!!! (1)(1) Walter Mercado
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
I am more than my numbers
My bank account sits at 70 dollars. My credit rating is of 450. My blood pressure is 120/70. My cholesterol is 235. I am 34 years old. I have been married 2 times. I have 3 children. I am 1 of 5 siblings. I am 5’4. I am 190 pounds. I have lived in 5 cities. I have owned 4 cars. I have worked with 3 Fortune 50 companies.
None of those numbers tell you anything about me. None of those numbers can give you an understanding of who I am. Of course, you can analyze the data and assume many things about me, but will they give you the whole story?
You can see that I am not rich, I have poor credit and I am relatively healthy though overweight. You can even say that I am slightly unstable (the whole moving thing) and that I am not dumb since I have been involved with good companies. And that tells you what??
Can you measure the compassion in my soul through my credit score? Can you know if I am kind because I am overweight? Will you be able to tell if I cry at the movies from my blood pressure?
I am more than my numbers.
You cannot round me up just by the numbers that pop up on a report. You cannot summarize who I am just by a tally of cold data that you have gathered. Adding up the numbers and taking away my errors will not give you a result based on truths, it only takes into account that which you see and you can analyze.
Like many people, I have made mistakes. I have taken false steps, I have fallen, I have gotten up, I have made the same mistake more than once and that still does not change who I am. Despite what the numbers tell you, I have not fallen from grace and because my numbers are not up to par with the world, it does not make me less worthy. You cannot tell whether or not I will succeed or fail, nor can you equate higher numbers with happier results.
You cannot take the measure of a man by the car he drives, the home he lives in or the job he has. You cannot see into the man he really is by looking to his credit score, reading his SAT results or sneaking a peek into his hemoglobin. You cannot understand someone based on their insurance policy, their 401K statement or their business cards. You will not touch someone with your checkbook, your diplomas or your title.
Once upon a time people had to learn how to relate to one another. There was no credit report that could tell you if the man in front of you was worthy, you evaluated him with your own eyes, you followed your own criteria and you trusted your instinct. Business men used to gage each other based on handshakes instead of resumes and curriculum vitae.
Men and women had learned to look at the little hints in someone’s conversation, in their tone and inflection to see if they were trustworthy or even to learn if the person in question would be a good friend. There was art in communication and some people developed their conversational skills as assiduously as others pursue their careers. Body language was a legitimate way of communicating and many engagements were based solely on the hints of this fine art.
Back in the day, you would look at someone and value their hard work by their actions, not by the accumulation of their wealth. People would be consulted on matters based on their demonstrated knowledge, not on the diplomas that hung on their wall.
It was the art of the shaman to look at someone with the eyes of the soul and to know the intentions of the other just by listening to his inner guides and following his instinct. As interconnected beings, when we meet someone, our inner bells tell us a more comprehensive story than a Federal background check.
Computers and technology are great allies in the world of communications. They have helped us breach distances and reach out to others who otherwise would not be a part of our world. However, as before, we forget that the progress we have made has also been based on the things we knew in the past. It is because of those experiences that we went through in the past that we have the knowledge that has birthed all of this advancement and extraordinary growth.
However, in this as in many other things, we toss the old and bring in the new and we create an unbalanced approach, one that does not serve us well.
You can see that same trend in agriculture, in education and schools and most significantly, in parenting. Spanking was once upon a time used as a disciplinary method. The child knew to behave because otherwise, he would face consequences. With the rise of the self esteem movement fueled by Dr. Spock, parents abandoned spanking; however, nothing took the place of spanking. And children grew up without any discipline, without any knowledge of cause and effect. No base was given to them as parents slacked and didn’t actively teach those values and discipline. Now we have a million of “millennials” scratching their heads because they don’t understand what went wrong.
It’s a pendulum effect, we lean too far into one side, which causes the next generation to do the opposite and then we lean too much in to the other side.
And many things will continue to be that way and that is just the way of life. However, in communications there are many things that stand to be lost in this new trend. We are forgetting to look deeper, further and with our other senses. We are forgetting how to relate to each other and how to reach out to others. The computer is a wonderful tool, I personally love Facebook and recommend it to everyone, young and old, but there is also something to be said for looking into someone’s eyes, for reaching into the firm grasp of someone’s honest handshake, the warmth and soothing effect of a hug from a loved one.
Our automatization has allowed for a more efficient way to deal with growth, with advancement and with progress. But as humans, we also need in place a way to deal with that part of us that makes mistakes, that falls short and that does not immediately fit the mold. People are not disposable, they will need second, third and fourth chances. Our society is not prepared to give them that second and third chance without taking away their dignity. We read each person’s file before we even meet them and make up our minds as to who and what they are before they have come into our life.
In short, the thinking skills that went with the times of old have been given up by the quick and easy to reach information that we all have access to. People listen to experts about what to do with their children, what to eat and how to live their life, they heed test results with numbers and data when their body has been telling them the same thing all along and their own inner guidance has always had the answers for them.
Many years ago, intangibles such as dignity, honor, and integrity had more value. Nowadays, scores and reports and data have taken over. And while all of them are great tools to get to know people, they are not the ultimate answer. When you stand in front of someone and want to asses their worthiness and their character, all you need to do is reach into you and see what your eyes wont tell you, listen for their song with your soul and recognize and smile and wait for the truth is always within your reach.
None of those numbers tell you anything about me. None of those numbers can give you an understanding of who I am. Of course, you can analyze the data and assume many things about me, but will they give you the whole story?
You can see that I am not rich, I have poor credit and I am relatively healthy though overweight. You can even say that I am slightly unstable (the whole moving thing) and that I am not dumb since I have been involved with good companies. And that tells you what??
Can you measure the compassion in my soul through my credit score? Can you know if I am kind because I am overweight? Will you be able to tell if I cry at the movies from my blood pressure?
I am more than my numbers.
You cannot round me up just by the numbers that pop up on a report. You cannot summarize who I am just by a tally of cold data that you have gathered. Adding up the numbers and taking away my errors will not give you a result based on truths, it only takes into account that which you see and you can analyze.
Like many people, I have made mistakes. I have taken false steps, I have fallen, I have gotten up, I have made the same mistake more than once and that still does not change who I am. Despite what the numbers tell you, I have not fallen from grace and because my numbers are not up to par with the world, it does not make me less worthy. You cannot tell whether or not I will succeed or fail, nor can you equate higher numbers with happier results.
You cannot take the measure of a man by the car he drives, the home he lives in or the job he has. You cannot see into the man he really is by looking to his credit score, reading his SAT results or sneaking a peek into his hemoglobin. You cannot understand someone based on their insurance policy, their 401K statement or their business cards. You will not touch someone with your checkbook, your diplomas or your title.
Once upon a time people had to learn how to relate to one another. There was no credit report that could tell you if the man in front of you was worthy, you evaluated him with your own eyes, you followed your own criteria and you trusted your instinct. Business men used to gage each other based on handshakes instead of resumes and curriculum vitae.
Men and women had learned to look at the little hints in someone’s conversation, in their tone and inflection to see if they were trustworthy or even to learn if the person in question would be a good friend. There was art in communication and some people developed their conversational skills as assiduously as others pursue their careers. Body language was a legitimate way of communicating and many engagements were based solely on the hints of this fine art.
Back in the day, you would look at someone and value their hard work by their actions, not by the accumulation of their wealth. People would be consulted on matters based on their demonstrated knowledge, not on the diplomas that hung on their wall.
It was the art of the shaman to look at someone with the eyes of the soul and to know the intentions of the other just by listening to his inner guides and following his instinct. As interconnected beings, when we meet someone, our inner bells tell us a more comprehensive story than a Federal background check.
Computers and technology are great allies in the world of communications. They have helped us breach distances and reach out to others who otherwise would not be a part of our world. However, as before, we forget that the progress we have made has also been based on the things we knew in the past. It is because of those experiences that we went through in the past that we have the knowledge that has birthed all of this advancement and extraordinary growth.
However, in this as in many other things, we toss the old and bring in the new and we create an unbalanced approach, one that does not serve us well.
You can see that same trend in agriculture, in education and schools and most significantly, in parenting. Spanking was once upon a time used as a disciplinary method. The child knew to behave because otherwise, he would face consequences. With the rise of the self esteem movement fueled by Dr. Spock, parents abandoned spanking; however, nothing took the place of spanking. And children grew up without any discipline, without any knowledge of cause and effect. No base was given to them as parents slacked and didn’t actively teach those values and discipline. Now we have a million of “millennials” scratching their heads because they don’t understand what went wrong.
It’s a pendulum effect, we lean too far into one side, which causes the next generation to do the opposite and then we lean too much in to the other side.
And many things will continue to be that way and that is just the way of life. However, in communications there are many things that stand to be lost in this new trend. We are forgetting to look deeper, further and with our other senses. We are forgetting how to relate to each other and how to reach out to others. The computer is a wonderful tool, I personally love Facebook and recommend it to everyone, young and old, but there is also something to be said for looking into someone’s eyes, for reaching into the firm grasp of someone’s honest handshake, the warmth and soothing effect of a hug from a loved one.
Our automatization has allowed for a more efficient way to deal with growth, with advancement and with progress. But as humans, we also need in place a way to deal with that part of us that makes mistakes, that falls short and that does not immediately fit the mold. People are not disposable, they will need second, third and fourth chances. Our society is not prepared to give them that second and third chance without taking away their dignity. We read each person’s file before we even meet them and make up our minds as to who and what they are before they have come into our life.
In short, the thinking skills that went with the times of old have been given up by the quick and easy to reach information that we all have access to. People listen to experts about what to do with their children, what to eat and how to live their life, they heed test results with numbers and data when their body has been telling them the same thing all along and their own inner guidance has always had the answers for them.
Many years ago, intangibles such as dignity, honor, and integrity had more value. Nowadays, scores and reports and data have taken over. And while all of them are great tools to get to know people, they are not the ultimate answer. When you stand in front of someone and want to asses their worthiness and their character, all you need to do is reach into you and see what your eyes wont tell you, listen for their song with your soul and recognize and smile and wait for the truth is always within your reach.
Monday, July 6, 2009
You are my Sunshine
You are my Sunshine
Mom, mom, mom! I got to get my clothes ready and I got to take my pens and my coloring pencils and lots of papers, there will be lots of animals on the road and I need to draw them so you know what they look like. Do you think I will be able to see lots of animals from the truck? Aren’t you excited mom? I get to go in the truck with dad, only us boys and wouldn’t it be great if we could go to Texas? I was born in Texas mom, I am a cowboy!!!
~I know baby
My only Sunshine
Mom? Do I need to take money? Will I need to buy stuff??? What if I have to buy something? Dad is going to be working and I am going to be working with him. I know this is not all fun and games, dad says we are going to be rolling all the time, I can work with dad, I am a big boy, I can help him, I can look out for other cars and I can tell him when we have to turn, I am a big boy mami. I know how to read, I can read to dad and I can read the map and I can show him where the states are. Do you know where the states are mami? Don’t worry if you don’t know, I will draw it for you and bring it back, is that ok mom?
That is fine baby.
You make me happy when skies are gray
Mom, what are you and the girls going to do? It’s going to be only boys in the truck and girls in the house. We are going to talk about all the stuff that boys talk about. We are going to talk about predators and wild animals, and guns and wars and all those scary stuff. You don’t like talking about that stuff do you mami? It’s ok, I will talk to daddy, but I know that we are just talking about it. We can’t hurt people or animals. You especially can’t hurt animals, right mami? Mami, when I grow up I want to be a man who takes care of animals and who makes sure they are not extinct. Maybe, I can go around the world rescuing animals and daddy can drive me in his truck, do you think I can do that mami?
You can do anything you want baby.
You’ll never know dear how much I love you
Mom, I am ready, I am going to go all over the United States and I am going to see all the other states and won’t it be cool mami if I see the ocean?? I love the ocean mami, great white sharks and dolphins live there and you can swim. Mom, do you think dad will let me read to him books about animals in the ocean? I hope he does, I brought my other animal books and my other books about zombies and the other books I like to read? Does daddy like to read? Yes, I think daddy likes to read. You love to read too mami, we are all a reading family aren’t we mami??
Yes baby, we are.
Oh please don’t take my sunshine away
Mami? Are you sad mami? Don’t be sad mami! I will be back in 11 days; you can almost count that with your fingers mami. I will be back soon, and I will miss you mami. I am not going to forget you mami, I will be back soon ok, and I will get you postcards and I will call you, can you give me your number so I can call you when I miss you. Oh man! I never had to call you on the phone before. Mami, when I come back I will tell you everything about the road and the truck and the things that I do with daddy. I will take care of daddy, I promise. I can’t drive the truck but I can help him, right mom? I am a big boy mom; I am going to work with dad. I love you mom.
I love you too baby.
Mom, mom, mom! I got to get my clothes ready and I got to take my pens and my coloring pencils and lots of papers, there will be lots of animals on the road and I need to draw them so you know what they look like. Do you think I will be able to see lots of animals from the truck? Aren’t you excited mom? I get to go in the truck with dad, only us boys and wouldn’t it be great if we could go to Texas? I was born in Texas mom, I am a cowboy!!!
~I know baby
My only Sunshine
Mom? Do I need to take money? Will I need to buy stuff??? What if I have to buy something? Dad is going to be working and I am going to be working with him. I know this is not all fun and games, dad says we are going to be rolling all the time, I can work with dad, I am a big boy, I can help him, I can look out for other cars and I can tell him when we have to turn, I am a big boy mami. I know how to read, I can read to dad and I can read the map and I can show him where the states are. Do you know where the states are mami? Don’t worry if you don’t know, I will draw it for you and bring it back, is that ok mom?
That is fine baby.
You make me happy when skies are gray
Mom, what are you and the girls going to do? It’s going to be only boys in the truck and girls in the house. We are going to talk about all the stuff that boys talk about. We are going to talk about predators and wild animals, and guns and wars and all those scary stuff. You don’t like talking about that stuff do you mami? It’s ok, I will talk to daddy, but I know that we are just talking about it. We can’t hurt people or animals. You especially can’t hurt animals, right mami? Mami, when I grow up I want to be a man who takes care of animals and who makes sure they are not extinct. Maybe, I can go around the world rescuing animals and daddy can drive me in his truck, do you think I can do that mami?
You can do anything you want baby.
You’ll never know dear how much I love you
Mom, I am ready, I am going to go all over the United States and I am going to see all the other states and won’t it be cool mami if I see the ocean?? I love the ocean mami, great white sharks and dolphins live there and you can swim. Mom, do you think dad will let me read to him books about animals in the ocean? I hope he does, I brought my other animal books and my other books about zombies and the other books I like to read? Does daddy like to read? Yes, I think daddy likes to read. You love to read too mami, we are all a reading family aren’t we mami??
Yes baby, we are.
Oh please don’t take my sunshine away
Mami? Are you sad mami? Don’t be sad mami! I will be back in 11 days; you can almost count that with your fingers mami. I will be back soon, and I will miss you mami. I am not going to forget you mami, I will be back soon ok, and I will get you postcards and I will call you, can you give me your number so I can call you when I miss you. Oh man! I never had to call you on the phone before. Mami, when I come back I will tell you everything about the road and the truck and the things that I do with daddy. I will take care of daddy, I promise. I can’t drive the truck but I can help him, right mom? I am a big boy mom; I am going to work with dad. I love you mom.
I love you too baby.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy Independence Day!
Once upon a time, people lived in a land of oppression and restriction, the things that were important to them were limited by the government and they did not like situation, so off they went, into the uncertainty of the unknown, in search for fulfillment and happiness.
All through our life, we are, at one point or another, restricted. We are restricted by people and things around us, not all of us conform to the rules of the game and it is from our discomfort that we launch our desire for something different and we stand up and we make a change. And so it has been, throughout the ages, people who have been unhappy with the situation they were presented with, have stood up and said, I will not play by your rules, I will create my own rules.
Men controlled by their government, people sold through slavery, women unable to vote, minorities not recognized as whole people, the abused wife who gets beaten up and blames herself, the pushed around boy that is afraid of the bullies and the man who is punished for speaking his mind. These are all forms of oppression, if we have not personally lived through them, we know of someone who has; or at least we understand what it was like, back when it happened.
There are other forms of oppression. There is oppression that does not happen out in the open for everyone to see. There is oppression that is so deeply rooted into our customs of society and community that no one recognizes them as such, however, we know the effect.
There are those who have set rules in their hearts that they must follow regardless of the sacrifice. There are those who would follow the status quo and do what they are “supposed” to do even though they die each day, a bit more. I know you have met those who have experienced this form of oppression, even if you, yourself have not.
They are the ones that have lost the sparkle in their eyes.
There are men and women around the globe right now that wake up, go to work, pay their bills, cook dinner and go to bed and do the same everyday. They are the ones that robotically, allow life to go through them and they do not become engaged or involved in living.
Then there are those that know that their existence is empty and joyless and yet continue to live that way regardless of the fact that the emptiness that fills their heart threatens to drown them in sorrow. They knowingly sell themselves out by staying in a state of unhappiness waiting for tomorrow to bring courage, security, hope and freedom.
Furthermore, there are some that hear the music in their soul and don’t dance to their own tune because they have allowed someone else to dictate their steps. The boss, the spouse, the kids, the mother, society, even the banker. They have taken up the power that someone has chosen to give away in order to continue in their existence. Comfortable existence.
I know you have seen them; I know you know what they look like, what they sound like. They can sit there and give you 1001 good rationalizations as to why they are not doing what makes them happy. Some blame their parents, some blame society, the economy, hormones, and the rules. Some even blame God. They feel righteous for the fact that they are doing what they are supposed to do and look down on those who are different. They can quote the New York Times and the bible and give you excellent reference points for their decision to be and do what they do. They sit there and point at others who have done what they could not; and mock and judge praying that the others will fail so that their point could be proven, so that they could be validated in their choice to not take the plunge.
Some have even cocooned their life in an effort to protect themselves, in not wanting to be hurt; what they do not realize is that by avoiding pain, they have also avoided life.
And so which one are you? Whose tune do you dance to??
Creating your own music and dancing to your own song means no longer believing that society has any power over us. It means creating everything in your life from inspiration and creating life from one moment to another, not following a predestined path. It means asking the questions that no one else asks and thinking for yourself; it is shedding the masks that others wear to hide themselves from the world. It means being able to see with your soul and not believing in the “front” that everyone shows of themselves. It means listening to everyone else’s inner song and accepting that as the only truth. Being your own self means waking up to face life with a smile in your face for the sake of the smile not for what the day may bring. It means making peace with your essence and knowing that it does not matter what comes into your life experience, you are immutable, you are divine, you are FREE.
Do you feel Free?
Freedom is the ability to be the highest expression of yourself and do so without listening to the noise around you. Freedom is living in a constant state of detachment from things, from people, and even from life itself. Freedom means no “couldas”, “shouldas” or “havetos”. Freedom is singing out loud, dancing in the streets and loving exuberantly. Freedom is a physical high, a mental rush, a psychological indulgence and a spiritual uplift. Freedom comes from your cells; it invades your systems and rushes through your veins in a wave of intoxicating energy that raises you to the apex of life, for every day is the very best day in your life.
It is waking up in love with the world and acknowledging that despite the differences in our experience we are all, intrinsically, the same. It is the permission we give ourselves to fall as many times as we need to, to grow up, grow in, grow out and expand our spirit and experience life at its fullest.
It is the compassion to understand that everyone is different and allowing them their own experience without trying to get in the way. It is the courage to love when we feel it and to walk away when the experience is over. It is being honest with everyone about who you really are but mostly being honest with yourself about where and what you want to be.
In 1620, a group of people left Holland and faced impossible circumstances for a chance to be free. Half of the people that began the trip perished and the other ones faced many, many more trials once they arrived in Plymouth Rock. And in 1776, they organized and announced to the world their independence from the tyrant monarchy that oppressed them and recognized that all of us have unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Like these original settlers, like the people within the civil rights movement, women’s suffrage, and everyone else who has stood up for a cause, so you have the unalienable right to pursue your happiness, to live life to the fullest expression of yourself and to change the rules of the game.
So, as we celebrate the independence of a nation, take the step, make the move, jump off the cliff and be free, be alive.
Happy Independence Day!
All through our life, we are, at one point or another, restricted. We are restricted by people and things around us, not all of us conform to the rules of the game and it is from our discomfort that we launch our desire for something different and we stand up and we make a change. And so it has been, throughout the ages, people who have been unhappy with the situation they were presented with, have stood up and said, I will not play by your rules, I will create my own rules.
Men controlled by their government, people sold through slavery, women unable to vote, minorities not recognized as whole people, the abused wife who gets beaten up and blames herself, the pushed around boy that is afraid of the bullies and the man who is punished for speaking his mind. These are all forms of oppression, if we have not personally lived through them, we know of someone who has; or at least we understand what it was like, back when it happened.
There are other forms of oppression. There is oppression that does not happen out in the open for everyone to see. There is oppression that is so deeply rooted into our customs of society and community that no one recognizes them as such, however, we know the effect.
There are those who have set rules in their hearts that they must follow regardless of the sacrifice. There are those who would follow the status quo and do what they are “supposed” to do even though they die each day, a bit more. I know you have met those who have experienced this form of oppression, even if you, yourself have not.
They are the ones that have lost the sparkle in their eyes.
There are men and women around the globe right now that wake up, go to work, pay their bills, cook dinner and go to bed and do the same everyday. They are the ones that robotically, allow life to go through them and they do not become engaged or involved in living.
Then there are those that know that their existence is empty and joyless and yet continue to live that way regardless of the fact that the emptiness that fills their heart threatens to drown them in sorrow. They knowingly sell themselves out by staying in a state of unhappiness waiting for tomorrow to bring courage, security, hope and freedom.
Furthermore, there are some that hear the music in their soul and don’t dance to their own tune because they have allowed someone else to dictate their steps. The boss, the spouse, the kids, the mother, society, even the banker. They have taken up the power that someone has chosen to give away in order to continue in their existence. Comfortable existence.
I know you have seen them; I know you know what they look like, what they sound like. They can sit there and give you 1001 good rationalizations as to why they are not doing what makes them happy. Some blame their parents, some blame society, the economy, hormones, and the rules. Some even blame God. They feel righteous for the fact that they are doing what they are supposed to do and look down on those who are different. They can quote the New York Times and the bible and give you excellent reference points for their decision to be and do what they do. They sit there and point at others who have done what they could not; and mock and judge praying that the others will fail so that their point could be proven, so that they could be validated in their choice to not take the plunge.
Some have even cocooned their life in an effort to protect themselves, in not wanting to be hurt; what they do not realize is that by avoiding pain, they have also avoided life.
And so which one are you? Whose tune do you dance to??
Creating your own music and dancing to your own song means no longer believing that society has any power over us. It means creating everything in your life from inspiration and creating life from one moment to another, not following a predestined path. It means asking the questions that no one else asks and thinking for yourself; it is shedding the masks that others wear to hide themselves from the world. It means being able to see with your soul and not believing in the “front” that everyone shows of themselves. It means listening to everyone else’s inner song and accepting that as the only truth. Being your own self means waking up to face life with a smile in your face for the sake of the smile not for what the day may bring. It means making peace with your essence and knowing that it does not matter what comes into your life experience, you are immutable, you are divine, you are FREE.
Do you feel Free?
Freedom is the ability to be the highest expression of yourself and do so without listening to the noise around you. Freedom is living in a constant state of detachment from things, from people, and even from life itself. Freedom means no “couldas”, “shouldas” or “havetos”. Freedom is singing out loud, dancing in the streets and loving exuberantly. Freedom is a physical high, a mental rush, a psychological indulgence and a spiritual uplift. Freedom comes from your cells; it invades your systems and rushes through your veins in a wave of intoxicating energy that raises you to the apex of life, for every day is the very best day in your life.
It is waking up in love with the world and acknowledging that despite the differences in our experience we are all, intrinsically, the same. It is the permission we give ourselves to fall as many times as we need to, to grow up, grow in, grow out and expand our spirit and experience life at its fullest.
It is the compassion to understand that everyone is different and allowing them their own experience without trying to get in the way. It is the courage to love when we feel it and to walk away when the experience is over. It is being honest with everyone about who you really are but mostly being honest with yourself about where and what you want to be.
In 1620, a group of people left Holland and faced impossible circumstances for a chance to be free. Half of the people that began the trip perished and the other ones faced many, many more trials once they arrived in Plymouth Rock. And in 1776, they organized and announced to the world their independence from the tyrant monarchy that oppressed them and recognized that all of us have unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Like these original settlers, like the people within the civil rights movement, women’s suffrage, and everyone else who has stood up for a cause, so you have the unalienable right to pursue your happiness, to live life to the fullest expression of yourself and to change the rules of the game.
So, as we celebrate the independence of a nation, take the step, make the move, jump off the cliff and be free, be alive.
Happy Independence Day!
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