Welcome to the Mindful Imagination Experience...
Empaths trying to find order in their world.
We all have heroes. Fact. Perhaps you think otherwise, but just for fun, why not attempt to discover who your heroes are.
Sometimes you hear the question asked where you invite five people to dinner, who do you invite? Trying to think about people who you admire, trust, aspire to, or agree with is difficult; there are some who have achieved great things but who also have pretty sordid deeds done in the background. A popular choice, in the UK anyway, is Winston Churchill; yet here is a figure who while worshipped for his leadership during World War 2, also has some despicable acts to his name before that. Heroes have flaws and perhaps that is what draws us towards heroes.
Let's take another hero and this time from comics, Batman. Now he may roam the streets at night clearing up the serious crime that takes place in a violent Gotham City, but he is hardly a figure of heroism. Here is a man in costume, much like his villains, and a man who is haunted by his past. He treads a thin line between being on the side of the law or being sent straight to Arkham Asylum himself.
Heroes have flaws; that's why we are drawn to them.
You are a hero yourself, you are the hero of your story and your flaws, which could be depression, anxiety, panic attacks, thoughts of suicide, self-harm...tick any boxes you like, they make you the hero that you are.
We are all in different worlds, our own universes. I see the world different to you and you see the world different to your partner, sister or best friend. We all see it in different shapes and colours and smells and we react in the way we need to; the best you can be is the hero for your world. Your anxiety, emotion, darkness, empathy, is your heroic strength.
We are not taught that by anyone. So I challenge you to see those powers that you have in a positive way, no matter what it may be that you are thinking; it is you, it makes your hero a full-blooded, well-rounded and strong hero for your life. You are your hero in your story. In true hero style, you need to kick ass! This world does not hand out cards easily, but I strongly believe that the universe has ideas for us that we can grab; it is noticing and acting on those opportunities that single us all out. Trust in yourself, and act on the hero inside you. In short, take a risk to achieve the end result.
I have a new book out, called The Self-Harming Pacifist. In it I try to make sense of my world, and how I have come around to being in a place where I am not ashamed to be feeling the emotions that I feel, but I try to tell myself that they are my strengths. I have been in the middle of a fog of anti-depressants and I hated it; I want to be in a kaleidoscope of the universe, and to do that I have to accept that some days will be darker than others. My strength is my knowledge that I can overcome that.
In a change to this blog and in my own small way to support BLM, I am always wanting to expand and change and move forward and learn; I recently re-discovered on a USB stick: Paul Simon's...
Recorded in 1985 in Johannesburg at the height of Apartheid, Paul Simon was criticised for appearing to support the racist government where he was actually supporting the traditional music of Africa. It is a great album, with some wonderful tracks such as Gumboots, Diamonds on the Soul of Her Shoes and Homeless. Seek it out.
Paul Simon clearly has a love of African music and this helped to bring its magic and mystery to a Western audience. The album was a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic and still stands as a beautiful experience. The music is powerful, most definitely when traditional African rhythms and tones are used, especially acapella. I also love the lyrics, the beautiful oddity from Gumboots and the story of You Can Call Me Al. It is a wonderful album from a time when listening to an album was a treat, start to finish; also from a time when the ills of the world were very much in the news and it felt as if we would all pull together to try and make change. I want to change how we view depression; I also want to be in a society where racism is not even mentioned, because it does not exist. We seem to be a long way from that, and further back than we were in the 80's.
Borders are out of date. There are no borders in the web and there should be none now. We have regressed as a society and this has been driven by fear, by anger and by weak news outlets powered by right wing thinkers. If the West creates the problems in the Middle East, and then sells a lifestyle of freedom and reward, why the hell would those persecuted by a corrupt and violent government not want to come here? The West perpetuates the problem, sells a solution, and then uses those 'immigrants' to champion fear and hate back at home. Thus fuels racism, separatism, sexism, white supremacy, and extreme right paranoia.
Is that democracy?
5 Ways to Create Order
No Borders.
No Fear.
No Competition, but a willingness to continue to develop and support each other.
No guilt. We feel what we feel, so the fuck what?!
No More Corruption. It's not the corporates who are the problem, it's not the tax dodgers and it's not the immigrants; it's the people in power, and most of them are men and most of them are white. What does that say?
In my humble opinion.
So what am I learning on my journey to an almost enlightened state on my emotions? First, that fear and hate have no place in a world; second, that we should not be made to feel bad if we feel bad, it is natural; third, that our world of fear, you know, the one with racism and the such, also fears people who have suicidal thoughts enough to lock them up or drug them...that's not right. Fear can be overcome, and history, myths and fables tell us that the one person who overcomes fear is a hero.
Go be you hero.
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