Humans

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change."
-- Michael Jackson

Now, maybe more than ever in history, every human can make a choice to follow through on making changes... to grow up and to be better.  Each one of us has the capability to do better.  It's exciting that we have this chance, but will we make the choice?

"Everything will change.  The only question is growing up or decaying."

--Nikki Giovanni

My husband and I have chosen to remain silent about a lot that is going on in the world.  Instead, we have chosen to educate ourselves; have private, safe, open conversations with each other; and ask ourselves, "How do we become better?" Our answer is that we must start with ourselves and make the changes BEFORE we venture into the world to try to change or teach.  

It's easy to tell the world it has to change to meet your needs.  It's easy to go out and tell the world what they need to do so that you can live in the world that you want to be living in.  But, changing yourself... ah, now that's difficult, YET where the key to change is.

Trying to change the world without changing our own self is absolutely pointless.

As a young child I wasn't impressed with much.  I admit that I have never been impressed with humans.  Until the start of the pandemic, I never truly understood why, but now I sadly see very clearly why.  I've also always lived with conflict and sadness because I see human's ability to be better, if only we'd make the choice to do the work to get there.

If I want to be impressed with humans, I need to first start with impressing myself by following through on growing up.

When we started into the pandemic, I promised myself that I would come out of this healthy and a better person.  In order to become a better person, I must grow up.  In order to grow up, I have to educate myself, view the world with eyes wide open, and question everything I've been told in my life before this very moment.

I'm making a plea to every human to please not believe those who have told you that you are doing the best that you can or that others in the world are doing the best that they can.  NONE of us are doing the best that we can.  While others may not see your or their own potential, I see it... we ALL have the ability to do better, if only we would choose.  

I have been reading a topic that is uncomfortable, but valuable and necessary to me in my desire to become better.  The book, "My Grandmother's Hands" by Resmaa Menakem is an amazing read on trauma, the nervous system, and racism.  If you want to wake up to yourself and to the world with a decision to become a better person, this is a huge place to start.  It's helped me to face myself with the determination to GROW UP... to be better and to know that I can.

"We all have the capacity to heal - and to create room for others to heal.  Our relationships, communities, and circumstances all call us into this healing."

--Resmaa Menakem, "My Grandmother's Hands"

As "My Grandmother's Hands" states, "We Americans have an opportunity - and an obligation - to recognize the trauma embedded in our bodies; to accept and metabolize the clean pain of healing; and to move through and out of our trauma.  This will enable us to mend our hearts and bodies - and to GROW UP." Also, "Americans have reached a point of peril and possibility.  We will either grow up or grow smaller.  This trauma will either burst forth in an explosion of dirty pain, or provide the necessary energy and heat for white Americans to move through clean pain and heal.  Only this second outcome will provide us with GENUINE SAFETY." 

There isn't one of us on this planet who has escaped trauma.  We each carry trauma in our DNA from our ancestors who lived before us.  And, there isn't one of us who doesn't have the capability to grow up... to be better.

"Whether your body is black, white, or otherwise, you and other members of your group need to care for yourselves, care for each other, and help one another mend and grow up.  You will also need to create new culture. ... but they will need to be body-centered; they will need to focus on healing; and they will require us, over and over, to settle our bodies, confront ourselves, and metabolize our clean pain. ... At some point in this process, we'll all need to contend with hate.  It's there, wrapped inside our trauma, and it's going to come out."

--Resmaa Menakem

If you want to be better than you are in this moment and, if you want to grow up, it will require you to take an uncomfortable and empowering look at yourself.  This isn't about changing the world.  This is about changing you into the full potential of yourself that I very clearly see.  You DO have the capability to be better than you are right now in this moment.

What choice will you make?

-- Lisa Pratt
July, 2020