| | "I know what's worth a fight and what's not."
~ Outlander ~
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| “What would you do to protect your family from evil?”
As my client’s question reverberated through every cell of my body, it beckoned another asked by one of my most supportive allies from a decade of pruned memories.
“Amanda, how did you find the courage? Almost no one does what you did in those circumstances.”
Then another man’s answer I’d heard but not fully understood suddenly became clearer.
“People ask how I have the courage to speak up. And I tell them, it’s not courage. It’s fear. I know what happens when people stop speaking up: Tyranny. And that’s far scarier than anything I might suffer as a result of speaking the truth.” (paraphrased)
They both focused on their responsibility to the collective in the face of oppression, and so did I that day I responded to my ally with a truth that surprised even me as it left my lips.
“It was pure maternal instinct. I never would have done that for myself. I was too ensnared to see a way out. I was too tired to conjure a belief that I could get out once I did see it. And I was too uncertain that I could survive without the system that had turned me into its battery and tool. But the moment I realized he was following my model more than my words, that was it. Something switched inside me, and I knew I had to find a way out.”
I remember where I was and exactly what I said because the mind-blowing, shame-inducing truth of it radiated from and into every corner of my being.
I wouldn’t have done that for myself. Why?
Why couldn’t I see myself as worthy of freedom and the revolution required to experience it?
And yet, I’m painfully aware that others—I might even dare to say most others—I’ve met who are up to the work of revolutionizing their personal narratives started the journey for someone else.
I’m going to write a book for the folks who are hurting (and be invited to save my story in the process).
I’m going to become a therapist or coach to help
(and be invited to save my story in the process).
I’m going to develop a business with events, courses, and more for those who are hungry for change
(and be invited to save my story in the process).
Why don’t we see ourselves as worthy of freedom?
Well, I think that may be because by the time we have eyes to see, all we can see is the snare we’ve been caught in, the exhaustion, and the system that has its proverbial claws embedded so completely into our motivations, feelings, and routines.
But…
When we see another human suffering an injustice…
When we notice others need someone to speak up for them because they’ve lost their voice…
When we realize that no one else is coming to save them…
We rise. We revolt. We reclaim.
I saw a funny meme today. Two folks having a conversation.
One asks, “So, have you decided on your Independence Day resolutions yet?”
The second responds, “My what?”
And the first answers, “You know… like, what specific injustices do you plan to rebel against in the coming year?”
I don’t know about you,
but I have a giant list!
And I’m feeling the Spirit of the Revolutionary rising.
Personally, I’ve been feeling it for a few months now. You probably felt it between the lines in my last email about being an Original. I can no longer stand by and watch the disempowering shenanigans happening in the name of empowerment. I’m done. I can’t take it. I have to say and do something about it. (More on that soon.)
And of course, in our nation, people are beginning to realize and rise up against what happened when we stopped cultivating this revolutionary spirit in children and let it be co-opted or corrupted instead.
Today, as we celebrate Independence and Freedom
—the direct result of a Revolution against tyrannical government that assumed too much power over other humans and their Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness—
I want to assure you that I know that
YOU ARE WORTHY OF REVOLUTION…
and the freedom it will bring when you embrace it….
And maybe open another possibility to that shame
that invites it into the light.
What if rising up against the injustices
affecting those we deem worthy
IS ACTUALLY THE PATH OF PERSONAL REVOLUTION?
What if that’s part of The Plan?
What if we were designed to seek to liberate others
IN ORDER
that we can all reclaim our sense of worthiness
AS WE RISE UP
to face the evil when it comes knocking on our doorstep
and in the walls of our hearts?
Do you have any evidence for this wild and crazy idea? |
| | Committed to Saving Stories with You, |
| | Founder | The Story Oracle
Co-Founder | Saved By Story Publishing
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