Inspiraelevation

We must make sure that in our initiatives to save the world that we don’t leave some behind.

As Donne author of Meditation XVII Surmised,

“All mankind is of one author, and is one volume. And perchance I may think myself so much better than I am. No man is an island,  entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well” (Jokinen).

The world is suffering and many are moaning and reeling under the weight and pressure of a world upended .

The world is disrobing, shedding the false realities wherein it was cloaked. All its inhabitants are feeling the affects.

Not all the suffering has been visible. Not all the suffering has been televised.

But undoubtedly, the deep wounds are being exposed to light that healing may begin. But in this process people are being crushed beneath the pressure

Some may ask why must that matter to me?

Donne goes on to say, “… But this bell that tells me of his affliction, digs out, and applies that gold to me: if by this consideration of another’s danger, I take mine own into contemplation” (Jokinen).

I reason that what another suffers, I could very well suffer. And when I think of this I think of the need to do something.

Such warrants a moment of reflection.

A few days ago when perusing social media I discovered a news piece that brought me to tears.

A young and talented writer with much acclaimed success had taken her life, at only 39 years old. While her work was stellar, and her success solidified, none of that could save her from her suffering.

Thus, I cried.

Why may you ask?

Because, I am very familiar with the fight one wages against anxiety and depression, which it is documented that she also battled. And, her death diminished me. I saw in her a reflection of who I was. I understood that the same bell that tolled for her could have tolled for me.

I know that this is a battle that many have fought and are still fighting alone. And, living in current times; times of uncertainty, revelation, struggle, and adjustment does not make it any easier. We are all being affected in some way.

Healing begins when we all fight together.

I am calling on all who are making a stand, who are doing what is in their power to right the world not to forget those suffering in silence. Don’t forget your own families and people within your communities.

Check in, stand in the trenches with those who are hurting and help them fight their battles. Lets help alleviate suffering wherever it may be.

Getting on in the world is difficult for a lot of people. The fact that life is not easy comes as no surprise to those of us who have lived for some time.

A few days ago a wrote an article about a call to action, a call to stand up and do something. In that article I did not address the loneliness or isolation that can come with taking a stand.

The truth is that taking a stand may very well earn you a lot of enemies. People who you thought were your friends may isolate you.

It will hurt.

It will be painful.

It will be hard.

One of the most important lessons that you will ever learn in life is that not everyone is going to like you, and that’s okay.

Not everyone is going to appreciate your efforts, who you are, or what you do. Not everyone is going to care like you do.

So, I want to encourage you.

I want you to know that there are people out there who do appreciate what you do. There are people out there who will stand with you.

Don’t let those who don’t stand with you stop you from standing. Don’t let them stop you from being the person that you are. The world needs you.

As Martin Luther King eloquently penned in his Birmingham Letter, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.”

https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

In your stand, even if you find that people have turned from ;you, try to find within you the strength to keep on keeping on.

We have entered a time and space of awakening or uncovering. Our footsteps are heavier, our whispers are magnified, a light is being shined in places that were once cast in shadow. People are being unmasked to reveal who they truly are. There is nothing that is done that can be hidden.

At the same time we are all being called to action. We are called upon to make a stand; to take a side. We are called on to demonstrate what it is we believe, the strength of our resolve, our mettle. Your voice, your actions, and your inaction are all significant, because even your silence is speaking volumes, sometimes speaking louder than words.

. We all must do something.

We all must do our part.

Now is the time to shape the world and mold it into what we want it to be.

John F. Kennedy said it best in a 1963 commencement address he made to American University.

“We shall also do our part to build a world of peace where the weak are safe and the strong are just. We are not helpless before that task or hopeless of its success. Confident and unafraid, we must labor on–not towards a strategy of annihilation but towards a strategy of peace. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it is unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief.  We need not accept that view. Our problems are man-made; therefore, they can be solved by man. “

We must do what is in our power to do from our sphere of influence. There are no small efforts.

Works Cited

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Commencement Address at American

University, Washington D.C., June 10, 1963. Web.

https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/american-university-19630610

Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his first inaugural address once uttered one of the most moving phrases in history. As he stood accepting his role as newly appointed president of the United States he said,  “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

No truer words have ever been spoken.

Fear can be a great paralyzer, for even when there is nothing to be really afraid of just the thought of the worst case scenario coming true is enough to stop you dead in your tracks.

It is always the What if?

9 times out of 10 the worst case scenario never happens. The fear is always bigger than the actual outcome.

You will not know this until you take action.

I cannot tell you how many times I have feared something, refused to act, and as a result missed out.

But I can also tell you of the times when I pushed forward despite the fear and realized that my perception was way over exaggerated. As a result of pushing forward, I received a massive benefit

Roosevelt went on to say in his speech, “These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.”

This is so relevant in our times.

So I say in encouragement to you. Don’t let fear keep you from getting all the things you deserve.

Yes, things don’t always workout.

More times than not they do, but you will never know until you try.

Works Cited:

History Matters. “Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”: FDR’s First Inaugural Address.

Web. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057/%20.