They made up their mind and started packing. Where are they going without ever knowing the way? They do not have a map or GPS. They decide to walk around the lake tonight. Then venture off down a new road tomorrow. Decisions many, some made without thought. Others determined by a sermon or campaign that steered them away from the choir. It feels safer being off the grid in a world without frequent travellers and cartographers. The intentions are loud. Silence is their reward. Isolation is their clarity.
They hear the roar of the crowd. The unforgiving, relentless opinions in combat. Each an armada of personal truth. Blinders on. Mute button pushed. The cults of personality- speaking in a language not foreign, not inconsistent with the populace voice. But nonetheless not their words, thoughts or feelings. Trying to stay removed is a task, arduous and exhausting. For silence is considered a threat to the fleet. A threat to both sides of the war. Tug-of-war pulling troops into a stand off.
They are stipped, barren in a conversation of mudslinging. Nothing to retaliate to. Nothing to bundle or curse. They simply dig. Dig deep for a way out of the battle. They are not combatants, enemies of the state, or warlords. They are not victims, yet. They are hiding away from the din of dismay and conversations of distrust. They see the reason for dissent. They feel the anger and sadness. They understand it, they have been judged, misunderstood, blamed, ridiculed, bullied and hated themselves.
They experience the fever, nightmares and anxiety. They are not in the majority of any circumstance. They have been displaced. They have been under attack and no fortification has kept THEM out. There are many things they can not fully understand- experience and circumstance preventing it. But they are reasoning beings, open-minded, kind and retrospective. They think about their actions. They speak honestly and with conviction with a positive outlook. They live life with a deep need to see all perspectives. They are independent from the crowd, the choir, the loudest voice.
They choose to play something new. Listen to the lyrics. Listen carefully to the meaning, to the irony, to the reality. They unpack their emotions, for feelings are not facts. Feelings are their way to make sense of the noise. They pick at the straw, shovel the sand, and hammer away at the scaffolding of hate. They refuse to settle for conjecture or make decisions based on fear. This takes work. It takes an honest look at themselves. It can be painful, it can be beautiful and it often leads to new travel plans. New reasons to pack. But, more reasons to unpack after a journey.
Changing minds is no one's responsibility. It is costly and can often result in more negativity. But asking the right questions, following your heart, listening with such engagement that it feels uncomfortable- this is the way to get more people to pause- to recognize an attempt to understand. This is how minds are opened. Not by preaching, politicking or persuading but by personal growth. When they grow it shows. When they find truth not by happenstance, but by inner reflection, outer refraction and consistent meaningful, purposeful conversations- it shows.
They are welcoming to dissension in the ranks. They, the rebels, that start the meader, that slow negative flow. When they take the time to remove themselves from the banter, this does not mean they do not care- it means they care enough to rethink, reassemble and redirect the voices that are vibrating the common ground. Causing tumbling and landslides on the edges. Clearing the way for others to make the journey to the surface- both sturdy and active.
They are packing so they can travel to the center, the foci, the epicenter of change. The common ground. This is the spot where the armada tends to avoid- because it means not raising the white flag of defeat of their enemy- or the parade of victory. It means laying down their arms and sitting down to have a conversation about similarities, honest problems of racism, prejudice, misogyny and hate. To face the cause of war, accept the role, and understand the demons of these atrocities.
These are not universal. Yet, they are more common than we think. These are the uncomfortable things we need to look in the eye and conquer.They are the common threat, the enemy of the state, the terrorists and devils of society. THEY, themselves are not any of these. THEY are catching their breath in order to dive into the ocean below and swim towards the conversation- but with a demeanor that lends itself to evidence based change, real discussion of how to begin.
THEY made up their mind and started packing. THEY found the way, they travelled around the lake, through the woods and made their way to common ground. This is where they built their home. Set up their wifi and gas lines. Settled in for the long haul- because nothing is more important. AND, YET nothing is more destructive and fluid. It will not happen overnight, it will not happen in a year or a decade. But, it requires sturdy ground, a voice of common sense and a voice- not one of preach, persuasion or politics- but one of gentle reasoning and determination.
