The Faith Experiment
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My Braveheart Speech to the World
The changing of the world starts with one step, and that is the hardest one of all. I want to change this world and I cannot do it alone. I finally admit that I do not know how. This is my first step out of hell and I want to bring everyone with me to a better place. Help me to find my way.
There is great beauty all around us, but we are missing it. We are getting it wrong. Every time we choose to turn away from one another as humans, we are in turn hurting ourselves. Why is it so difficult to overcome the discomfort of truly looking at each other long enough to forge a real human connection? We crave it more than anything. There is fear of hurting one another and it causes us to avoid conflict at the cost of our relationships. At every turn, we are busting ourselves and each other on technicalities and in the end, that makes no sense. These things are as simple or as complicated as we choose to make them. Every single one of us needs each other right now. Must we wait for an actual zombie apocalypse or terrifying dragon showdown or can we admit to ourselves and each other that we are finally pissed off and hurt enough to heal the world before then?
The state of this planet is in jeopardy. We’d better start looking at this from a different perspective.
The horrific events of our time have put us at a collective advantage. It sounds contradictory out loud, but it is true. There is a reason “The Walking Dead” and “Game of Thrones” are so popular on television. It is thrilling to imagine a world where all the technological obstacles and substances that trick us into instant-gratification connections of love are removed and we can all at once begin to fight the real enemy instead of ripping each other apart. There is beauty there. It is driven by fear and cloaked in suffering , but the power of a lasting human connection is transformative, and we’re gonna use it to change this place.
I am finally hungry enough to be as brave as I must be and I’m prepared to sing for my dinner. My faith, in myself, others, and all that lies beyond is my greatest gift; it always comes through and it is how I live my life. I am owned by no one and tied to nothing. I have faced all of my fears and defeated my enemies with kindness and compassion. It took me a long time to get here and if you believe in me, I will have the strength to give you what you need. At the end of the day, I love. Show me how to use it and we will heal it all. I have faith in you. Take my hand...because we're walking out of here.
I have always dreamed in color, I have always dreamed big and I have always risen from the ashes stronger than ever. My slate is clean and the time is now. I will build you, and you will build me too someway. We are all in this together and nobody is going to let us off the hook. It is time to save ourselves. Do this with me and for the love of all that is true, do it for yourselves. We are human and at the end of the day, we can choose love.
The odds are against us, but we can always choose love. It is worth fighting for and we will not regret this.
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Now who wants to go for a ride? I am awake and I'm coming out to play.
"I don't know if I was ready but, you know, too late now...!" [Thanks, Dave, for the inspiration!]
People tell me to be careful what I wish for, but when I put something out into the world I've now come to expect it returned to me in a literal way. After all, our thoughts manifest into reality and the imagination is a powerful thing. The beginning of The Faith Experiment is no exception...and the challenges I brought upon myself in its initiation have been hard-hitting, quickly learned and ultimately rather hilarious. It is all a matter of perspectives at this point and as usual, my perspective is one of optimism. I'm never happier than when I am learning, and I have learned an awful lot in these past couple of weeks.
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So how do you suppose the Universe responds to one's proud announcement that she is ready to "come out and play?" I'll tell you: it hurls major life lessons at her to be absolutely certain she is damn ready, that's what. I thought I was finally free from all my fears when I published this blog but I was wrong. It turns out there was much more left for me to face before my slate was truly clean, and I'm finally feeling as clean right now as I can hope to be. So. Please sit back and let me tell you a story...
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Once upon a time there was a strange woman living in Western New York who enjoyed swinging (minds outta the gutter, I am referring to the act of propelling oneself back & forth at impressive speeds on an apparatus typically found on a playground, inaccurately assumed to be an activity only suited for children. It is athletic, dammit- try it sometime!). Following an unfortunate series of unpleasant and unexpected events, the aforementioned woman drove herself to her favorite park past dusk for some stress relief on her very favorite swing which lay beneath a magnificent dreaming tree. She'd always felt safe there, so she parked her truck outside the gates that were closed but not locked, entered the park on foot and began her healthy ritual. Before too long an officer of the law drove up, informed her his police dog was off-leash in the park and told her to leave. She leaped from the swing then had a pleasant conversation with the man about the circus and her dreams of one day participating in its delightful trapeze (no, really...!). She did not like being denied her outlet but obeyed anyway. Passing through the gates then by her truck on the way out, The Woman chose to walk to the neighboring field overlooking the golf course to meditate for a few minutes before heading home.
The return of the first officer and addition of a second one at this point became confusing to The Woman- hadn't she obeyed their orders by leaving the park? What was wrong with meditating in a public field that never closed?? Things had become blurry to her now. She felt almost hypnotized, and before she knew it, she was handcuffed in the back of the vehicle, banging the wretched metal restraints against the doors and partitions in protest of the officers going through her belongings and her truck.
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[~Thus beginneth what I am told was a psychotic break.~]
The Woman was taken downtown to a holding center where she spent the night facing her greatest fears, such as being locked up, feeling abandoned, disappointing those closest to her (mom in particular), and being completely exposed & vulnerable. The she time spent in there was very strange and full of fascinating little synchronicities and could-be coincidences. Though "the night was dark and full of terrors," there was a definitely promise of hope and many demonstrations of love amidst the bleakness. All of this helped prepare The Woman for the harder lessons that were to come in the days ahead, and even then, she was feeling most grateful for that.
The events of the next day led to yet another encounter with the police after she was brought home, and this time the result was a not-fun-at-all restraining by four cops & a ride to Erie County Medical Center where The Woman's constant and LOUD screams of "No! Nooooo! NOOOOOO!" indicated to her that perhaps if she had used the word more regularly--or even at all--in her everyday life when appropriate, it may not have manifested itself in such a terrifying way. Still, the worst was yet to come.
What followed during her stay in the psychiatric hospital is the business of The Woman and those who observed and helped her, but once she found a clear head in there, she found the beauty in humanity and humanness. In helping others, the woman finally learned how to truly ask for and accept help herself, and the overall healing was impressive.
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At the end of this chapter in The Woman's life, she has more hope than ever before that this world can be healed and she is ready for the next step, please, so BRING IT ON !!!
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"Love is not a whisper or a weakness.....love is strong" ~David J. Matthews
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