Do you really believe in what you believe?
Hey everyone,
This week seems to have flown by. I cannot honestly say I remember everything that I did, but I feel good ending the week; accomplished, satisfied.
Earlier this week, Martin Luther King was celebrated. I was very intentional about not posting about it. Last year, I was one of those people who thought that if you didn't post it, you couldn't be thinking it. I thought that if you did not post about something important that was happening, then you couldn't possibly care. After realising my bias and coming to terms with the fact that posting does not mean you care, I decided not to post. On Monday, lots of people were posting quotes and lots of people were talking about how you shouldn't just post a quote and then forget about the dream. I completely get that. It's like, for me, I thought that if you posted, it showed you cared. And it can still mean that. But some of us, just post and then never do anything about it. We post about all this stuff happening in the world so that it seems like we care, but we never actually read up on it. We live in a time when being knowledgeable is attractive and correct. And that doesn't have to be a bad thing. It becomes bad when we skim through important issues and demean them to random posts on our stories without taking the time to actually engage. I'll be honest, I am so guilty of this. And it's not like we can always know what's happening everywhere in the world. But educating ourselves is one step we can take in learning to understand each other and be compassionate and pour more than just the time it takes to post something into appreciating the issues in the world.
Having said all that, Martin Luther King was the real deal. I don't know all the history, but I know enough to be sure that he is truly a role model. To stand up for what you believe and do it proudly even when everyone, even those that should be on your 'side' are opposing you, is not easy. He was fighting for black peoples' rights. The majority of white people at the time didn't want that. But some black people did not appreciate his efforts either cause he was too soft aka non-violent. And yet, that very quality was what won him the Nobel Prize and probably what got him most of the respect he has today. He knew what he stood for, and even when everyone disagreed, he endured. That's the kind of life I want to lead. I want to know what I believe and stand for it even if other people don't understand and don't agree. Fitting in will never help you make a difference. He would just have been another black man protesting on the streets for rights.... but he had a dream, and he was willing to try achieve it a different way. He knew violence was not working and even though it could've cost him the support of his friends, he chose to be non violent. Years later and now we celebrate him for what people could not understand then. We may not be appreciated now, but good work, honest work does not go unnoticed. Not by God and not even by people. So if you're out there and wanting to do some pretty 'radical' things.... know that you're in good company.
'Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outward acceptance.' This quote from Mr King himself is pointing to societal and individual issues we all face today. Agreeing with a cause but refusing to act. Maybe because we're scared of persecution, rejection, failure or having to do it alone. I'm learning that the fearful, safe life is not life at all. If you don't believe in what you believe in enough to risk everything, is it really a belief? Hope that makes some sense. I just think, now more than ever, it's important for us to question what we believe and when we are sure, to stand for it for real. Not just so we can post about it and not just so that we can be on the safe sides of conversations. But so that we are willing to fight for what we believe in and stand by it even when no one stands by us for it.
That's my slice of advice today... (you see the rhyme:)) I'm learning a lot and I'm really grateful to all of you that have decided to learn with me. We weren't made to live life in isolation. COVID has made it more necessary, but it has also made it more precious. I'm glad to have an outlet like this and I hope that you do feel loved here, because you are.
God bless.
Dera
This week seems to have flown by. I cannot honestly say I remember everything that I did, but I feel good ending the week; accomplished, satisfied.
Earlier this week, Martin Luther King was celebrated. I was very intentional about not posting about it. Last year, I was one of those people who thought that if you didn't post it, you couldn't be thinking it. I thought that if you did not post about something important that was happening, then you couldn't possibly care. After realising my bias and coming to terms with the fact that posting does not mean you care, I decided not to post. On Monday, lots of people were posting quotes and lots of people were talking about how you shouldn't just post a quote and then forget about the dream. I completely get that. It's like, for me, I thought that if you posted, it showed you cared. And it can still mean that. But some of us, just post and then never do anything about it. We post about all this stuff happening in the world so that it seems like we care, but we never actually read up on it. We live in a time when being knowledgeable is attractive and correct. And that doesn't have to be a bad thing. It becomes bad when we skim through important issues and demean them to random posts on our stories without taking the time to actually engage. I'll be honest, I am so guilty of this. And it's not like we can always know what's happening everywhere in the world. But educating ourselves is one step we can take in learning to understand each other and be compassionate and pour more than just the time it takes to post something into appreciating the issues in the world.
Having said all that, Martin Luther King was the real deal. I don't know all the history, but I know enough to be sure that he is truly a role model. To stand up for what you believe and do it proudly even when everyone, even those that should be on your 'side' are opposing you, is not easy. He was fighting for black peoples' rights. The majority of white people at the time didn't want that. But some black people did not appreciate his efforts either cause he was too soft aka non-violent. And yet, that very quality was what won him the Nobel Prize and probably what got him most of the respect he has today. He knew what he stood for, and even when everyone disagreed, he endured. That's the kind of life I want to lead. I want to know what I believe and stand for it even if other people don't understand and don't agree. Fitting in will never help you make a difference. He would just have been another black man protesting on the streets for rights.... but he had a dream, and he was willing to try achieve it a different way. He knew violence was not working and even though it could've cost him the support of his friends, he chose to be non violent. Years later and now we celebrate him for what people could not understand then. We may not be appreciated now, but good work, honest work does not go unnoticed. Not by God and not even by people. So if you're out there and wanting to do some pretty 'radical' things.... know that you're in good company.
'Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outward acceptance.' This quote from Mr King himself is pointing to societal and individual issues we all face today. Agreeing with a cause but refusing to act. Maybe because we're scared of persecution, rejection, failure or having to do it alone. I'm learning that the fearful, safe life is not life at all. If you don't believe in what you believe in enough to risk everything, is it really a belief? Hope that makes some sense. I just think, now more than ever, it's important for us to question what we believe and when we are sure, to stand for it for real. Not just so we can post about it and not just so that we can be on the safe sides of conversations. But so that we are willing to fight for what we believe in and stand by it even when no one stands by us for it.
That's my slice of advice today... (you see the rhyme:)) I'm learning a lot and I'm really grateful to all of you that have decided to learn with me. We weren't made to live life in isolation. COVID has made it more necessary, but it has also made it more precious. I'm glad to have an outlet like this and I hope that you do feel loved here, because you are.
God bless.
Dera
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