The Long and Winding Road

The Long and Winding Road

  Growing up I often heard the expression...not to choose is to choose. The meaning of which became much more clear as I aged and matured.

  How often had I heard some one say that they were angered or frustrated with a situation and yet did nothing? Often we decide to sit the fence about issues...so to speak. We may feel a certain way about something, yet we take no stand. It is unfortunate that we don’t understand...when we fail to take a stand...we already did.

  We may say that we are against slavery...yet if we do nothing to stop the enslavement...we are silently approving the action. True, it may not be easy to stand up against those who are seemingly in the majority...but what are we REALLY saying...by saying nothing...by taking no stand?

  We are saying...it is okay. We are lending our support to those that we may very well be opposed to. We may say that we do not support the destruction of our planet...but unless we are willing to stand up for the world around us...our well wishes...will always fall upon deaf ears.

  It takes bravery to speak openly against those that oppress us...and often those people are targeted as troublemakers. I almost laugh at those statements...because I personally know one of those troublemakers. I have watched and heard her young heart standing up for what she believes is right or wrong in this life. I have seen people try to muffle her cries for justice...with laughter or jokes, hoping to discourage her candor. But I promise you that this angel is only fueled by any opposition. She is never deterred by society’s criticisms...she keeps her head held high and marches on. She is strong and vigilant...she will stand up even when she feels she is under attack. She always makes her position known...regardless of the viewpoint or perception of others. I have seen her defend the life of a tree more passionately than I have seen men or women defend their fellow man.

  In mid conversation, she will say that it is wrong for the state to kill someone...to prove that killing is wrong. The act in itself emphasizes the “do as I say and not as I do” idea. Even before Troy Davis, the Georgia man who was executed Sept 21, 2011...for the death of an off duty police officer; as a fifteen year old girl...my daughter was debating the death penalty with educators. Did she have some information that we didn’t? No, she simply didn’t need anyone to tell her that killing is wrong. She didn’t seek or desire direction on this matter...she just always knew that loving our fellow man was our primary objective. To put it in her own words...how can our parents teach us that we are not supposed to fight...and that turning the other cheek is what God wants from us. Yet...we send our nation to war. It may seem like an over simplification to some...but again, in her words...wrong is wrong...no matter how many words you dress it up with.

  This young woman is one of my personal heroes. She has won no awards...there have been no stories written about her...outside of my own efforts. She has no National Holiday...but she sings her song of justice loudly...to anyone who will listen. She hasn’t prevented a war...she hasn’t stopped famine or the ongoing problems that we have created for ourselves. But everyday she will tell people openly that the man in the mirror is the change needed. For our reflection is who we are...not who we may think we are. We have a voice...we choose when and where to use it.

  As a society, we have chosen to be led. Growing up; we are told how to behave. Where to sit or stand...who to be nice to...what to wear; the problem is that we are now conditioned. We are conditioned to believe that we need permission to do what we already know is right. It is this conditioning that causes us to allow the destructive actions and decisions of others. No one is dictating to us what we should be doing...so we do nothing. As if we need permission to carry out the work of God.

  What I am saying is that the truths we were taught as children...theses still are true today. The fact is that the TRUTH....always will be TRUE. It is the one constant in our lives. Life can be like a long and winding road...seemingly endless; but the path is the one we have always known.

  We were created to love one another...and with love, comes peace. There can be no negative in that...for the basis of love and peace...comes from our Creator.

  Taking a stand can be hard...but masking who we really are in our silence...is a crime against our nature. Stand up for those that have no voice...be the voice of reason and justice...like our fore fathers before us. Be what we teach our children to be...every day. Lead by example...love by choice...be the humanity we seek in others.