I don’t usually talk politics on my blog. And what I have to say today, while having its roots in my concern for human rights and the upcoming election Stateside, is really much larger than that. It’s about democracy, which provides you with personal power, and it’s about using that personal power to stand your ground. There is one issue I want to speak to, as it is the thing that made me sit up and take notice this October. On October 20th, millions of Americans, myself included, participated in Spirit Day. Meant to bring awareness to the recent suicides of gay teens who had been bullied, the message was for anyone who found themselves persecuted that there is a veritable army that will stand up to that tide of hatred. Yes, we wore purple, both in real life and online. And that’s easy — that by itself doesn’t change hearts and minds. But bigger than that, we joined a call, clear and loud, to end bullying. It’s not just about being gay, lesbian, bisexual, Muslim, or even purple. It’s about being human. I looked around that day, witnessed the sea of purple, and my faith in my fellow Americans was restored.
The “It Gets Better” videos gathered in response to the suicides were meant to bring comfort to teens going through similar pain. So much love was poured into them. And yet with each one I watched, the message that was ringing in my head was not one the average 13 year old poised on the edge of taking her own life was going to be receptive to. It’s one much better suited to someone in pain, yes, but with enough strength left to rally. I know my message cannot bring those kids back from the brink. But maybe, just maybe, it can keep kids from approaching the brink to begin with.
See, the voice inside my head was screaming You have to STAY! You can’t change the world for all those who suffer this after you, unless you stay to change things! We need you!
The “It Gets Better” videos gathered in response to the suicides were meant to bring comfort to teens going through similar pain. So much love was poured into them. And yet with each one I watched, the message that was ringing in my head was not one the average 13 year old poised on the edge of taking her own life was going to be receptive to. It’s one much better suited to someone in pain, yes, but with enough strength left to rally. I know my message cannot bring those kids back from the brink. But maybe, just maybe, it can keep kids from approaching the brink to begin with.
See, the voice inside my head was screaming You have to STAY! You can’t change the world for all those who suffer this after you, unless you stay to change things! We need you!
As soon as I let myself see those words, yet knowing them to be no good for talking kids down off ledges, I began to see the myriad number of ways this was applicable in my own life, personally and politically.
My country turned a dark corner in the days following 9/11. Our beautiful yet painfully earned unity soon became fuel for the fear machine. I saw my fellow countrymen losing their freedoms and having their fears exploited for profit, daily. This undercurrent of domination through the language of fear continues to this day. This is how terrorism wins. It attacks from within. Some years ago, several friends and I found ourselves with our emotional bags packed, and our running shoes pointed at the Canadian border, as we held our breath waiting for election results. My country, the one so often touting itself as the greatest nation on earth, was painfully divided, splitting apart at the seams. A large part of me was simply ready to call it quits, to leave America like a cheating lover who was bent on doing nothing but bring me more pain.
But what kind of message is that? Do we simply throw our hands up in the air, pack our bags, and say we’ll return when it gets better? When someone else makes it better? Haven’t we had enough of our lives being dictated by actions and events outside ourselves, that we have no power to control? Does it not make sense that if something needs to change, we need to be the ones to change it?
Now I know that nothing is going to stop me from putting my roots down, right here, right now. Nothing is ever going to make me pack my bags again. Nothing will stop me from voting on Tuesday — not a tornado or a herd of flying donkeys with dart guns.
Democracy is a beautiful concept we have failed to live up to. Democracy requires your participation, for if others are making decisions for you, and your voice is not heard, you are not living in a democracy. Anytime someone speaks for you, when you have the freedom and the opportunity to speak for yourself, you have forfeited your democracy. This is true in every area of your life.
No, you should not stay in an abusive relationship. Yes, if your people are being killed and your life is at risk, you should seek asylum. No, you should not let others stampede your will. You have to stand your ground. Keep the faith that there are others like you, willing to fight, because if you yourself are willing to fight, I can guarantee you will not be alone for long. If you’re reading this, I have complete faith in your ability to distinguish between situations where staying is the powerful position versus situations where leaving is the powerful positon. The point is to make a choice, and to stand by it.
I stand for anyone in my country and in the world who is persecuted and oppressed. I stand for my country to grow up, open its heart, and embrace her sisters and brothers. I stand for the chance to live in a country where government does not claim to be God and therefore does not make decisions about whether a person lives or dies.
On Tuesday I will vote against the tyranny of evil passing itself off as family values, and I will likely lose. I can continue to seethe and stew and do nothing about it, or I can vote, and I can pray. I will remind myself then what I know now, which is that regardless of the outcome on Tuesday night, God/dess will use the situation for good. And She does that through us, through our faith, our actions, our commitment and our love.
Lift the bricks of tyranny off of your chest and speak!
My country turned a dark corner in the days following 9/11. Our beautiful yet painfully earned unity soon became fuel for the fear machine. I saw my fellow countrymen losing their freedoms and having their fears exploited for profit, daily. This undercurrent of domination through the language of fear continues to this day. This is how terrorism wins. It attacks from within. Some years ago, several friends and I found ourselves with our emotional bags packed, and our running shoes pointed at the Canadian border, as we held our breath waiting for election results. My country, the one so often touting itself as the greatest nation on earth, was painfully divided, splitting apart at the seams. A large part of me was simply ready to call it quits, to leave America like a cheating lover who was bent on doing nothing but bring me more pain.
But what kind of message is that? Do we simply throw our hands up in the air, pack our bags, and say we’ll return when it gets better? When someone else makes it better? Haven’t we had enough of our lives being dictated by actions and events outside ourselves, that we have no power to control? Does it not make sense that if something needs to change, we need to be the ones to change it?
Now I know that nothing is going to stop me from putting my roots down, right here, right now. Nothing is ever going to make me pack my bags again. Nothing will stop me from voting on Tuesday — not a tornado or a herd of flying donkeys with dart guns.
Democracy is a beautiful concept we have failed to live up to. Democracy requires your participation, for if others are making decisions for you, and your voice is not heard, you are not living in a democracy. Anytime someone speaks for you, when you have the freedom and the opportunity to speak for yourself, you have forfeited your democracy. This is true in every area of your life.
No, you should not stay in an abusive relationship. Yes, if your people are being killed and your life is at risk, you should seek asylum. No, you should not let others stampede your will. You have to stand your ground. Keep the faith that there are others like you, willing to fight, because if you yourself are willing to fight, I can guarantee you will not be alone for long. If you’re reading this, I have complete faith in your ability to distinguish between situations where staying is the powerful position versus situations where leaving is the powerful positon. The point is to make a choice, and to stand by it.
I stand for anyone in my country and in the world who is persecuted and oppressed. I stand for my country to grow up, open its heart, and embrace her sisters and brothers. I stand for the chance to live in a country where government does not claim to be God and therefore does not make decisions about whether a person lives or dies.
On Tuesday I will vote against the tyranny of evil passing itself off as family values, and I will likely lose. I can continue to seethe and stew and do nothing about it, or I can vote, and I can pray. I will remind myself then what I know now, which is that regardless of the outcome on Tuesday night, God/dess will use the situation for good. And She does that through us, through our faith, our actions, our commitment and our love.
Lift the bricks of tyranny off of your chest and speak!
