Becoming A Part Of The Story

As we embrace the sto­ries we find our­selves in with sor­row and imag­i­na­tion, we are con­sumed with raw pas­sion and energy. It is a change in our moti­va­tion and under­stand­ing. It leads us towards a response and protest that find iden­tity in some­thing well thought out and heart­felt. Response and protest are a fun­da­men­tal part of both, embrac­ing the story, as well as becom­ing a part of the story. Embrac­ing the sto­ries we find our­selves in has every­thing to do with us adapt­ing. Becom­ing a part of the story how­ever, has every­thing to do with how we cre­ate within our environments.

It is one thing to embrace the story we find our­selves in and under­stand the how, why, what, and even the when. It is quite another thing to speak out, cre­ate some­thing, and pro­vide some­thing that is not already there. As we are affected the world we find our­selves in, we must also become a part of the story in our response and protest.

We must begin with sor­row and imag­i­na­tion, and from there we must move to action and suf­fer­ing. Sor­row helps us under­stand the chaos and mis­un­der­stand­ing of the world; imag­i­na­tion gives us a hope in a future that is not present. Action is the ful­fill­ment of under­stand­ing and moti­va­tion in response and protest. It is where we know who we are, why we are, and what we are sup­posed to do.

Action is when we move for­ward into the real­ity we find our­selves in. It is where we sor­row over a bro­ken real­ity and imag­ine a new real­ity of some­thing bet­ter and greater. Suf­fer­ing is where action has taken you to the point of no return. Suf­fer­ing is where you incar­nate the out­work­ing of sor­row and imag­i­na­tion in your given real­ity. Suf­fer­ing bridges the world that was, the world that is, and the world that could be. Suf­fer­ing is sac­ri­fice for those who are vested in their cur­rent real­ity, but for those who respond to the cur­rent real­ity and protest towards an imag­ined real­ity, it is a joy and privilege.

The per­son who acts and is will­ing and ready to suf­fer, might become a cat­a­lyst for trans­for­ma­tion. In many instances, trans­for­ma­tion never hap­pens because the envi­ron­ment it orig­i­nates from reab­sorbs it’s focus, it loses col­lec­tive rel­e­vance and is wholly for­got­ten, or it becomes the seedbed for future trans­for­ma­tion. How­ever, if it is valid and it cap­tures the sor­row and imag­i­na­tion of that envi­ron­ment, trans­for­ma­tion is entirely pos­si­ble. At that point how­ever, there must be a guid­ing voice for it’s follow-through.

Trans­for­ma­tion hap­pens when the thoughts, feel­ings, and emo­tions of a col­lec­tive envi­ron­ment find mean­ing and pur­pose. It is organic and mirac­u­lous, not con­structed or dis­trib­uted. It is caught and imparted, not learned or under­stood. Trans­for­ma­tion dri­ves at the under­ly­ing pas­sions and dreams of the con­stituents of a given envi­ron­ment. Trans­for­ma­tion is never eas­ily under­stood, but it is eas­ily observed. You real­ize when it comes and goes, and know when it is short-lived or long-lasting; but you can­not repro­duce it’s process from one envi­ron­ment to the next. You can only observe and inter­pret the trans­for­ma­tion in context.

We all see the world in a unique light. Our col­lec­tive voices add depth, clar­ity, and beauty to our human­ity. If we are ready to embrace the story we find our­selves in with sor­row and imag­i­na­tion, if we are ready to become a part of the story and cre­ate through action and suf­fer­ing, we will trans­form our world and change it.