Monday 17 February 2014

Revolutions and Trying

Amid rolling blackouts and severe weather warnings, I want to talk about something that warms me to my core: kindness. There's a revolution stirring in the corners of social media and spreading further across the globe as I type. This is not a new concept. It is certainly not an outdated idea. With the spreading of the RAKnomination phenomenon, people are coming round to the idea that kindness can change the world. This philosophy is an old one, but I believe it is the most truthful. For too long, society has labeled individuals and allowed them to be persecuted for whatever reason. I am so sick of the way this world carries itself. It's difficult for me to write like this because I've always hated the idea of no one individual being specifically culpable, but I've realised that THAT is the exact point. We can point fingers as long as we live, but in doing so, we are constantly pointing away from ourselves. 

The way I see it is that I can do what I can to be kind, compassionate and loving in this entirely imbalanced world, and hope that those around me are doing the same. I'm a hugely optimistic person, almost to the point of naivety as I've been told in the past, but frankly, I would rather be optimistic and think the best of people and accept and love everyone than any alternative. It's a fight and a struggle to show kindness at all times. Sometimes we fight our own prejudices, or we struggle with the way a person presents themselves, or heaven forbid someone disagrees with the way we think. But we go on trying because we know it is right.

I've always been particularly drawn to the story of Mary Magdalene. She was seen as the lowest of the low, a prostitute who deserved nothing but death. And yet, Jesus saved her. He put his own body in the line of persecution and called for her killers to reflect upon themselves. I am drawn to this story for 2 reasons. 1. I can relate to Mary in her sin and guilt and 2. I can relate to the persecutors who stood there that day ready to kill a woman, while each of them had their own faults.

So what do we do with this inevitable failure in life? We try. We try again. We never stop trying to live the life we are called to. And in this, ironically, we triumph. In this, we take our place among the great men and women of this world. In this, we use our past as the foundation for a wiser, brighter, kinder future. If this seems totes depressballs, you've not read it right. You've not read it right because my point here is that in goodness, kindness, compassion and love, we triumph. In God we triumph.


Ode to Trying

I recently spoke with a friend
About our Stories.

Our Stories are our past.
Our Stories explain why we are the way we are, 
They convey our insecurities, 
Our fears, our joys, our blessings.
They shed light on the areas of our lives, 
That have brought us to this point.

But our Stories do not define us.

My past does not define me.
In the same way, I cannot simply ignore my story and start a new life.
No, we build, we move, we learn.
Our pasts do not define us,
It is what we do with our past that defines us.
A broken past, a broken family, a broken heart,
These things are hard to overcome.
But they are not impossible.
We try, we try, we try.
All we can do in this life is try.
With hope and direction and faith, we try each day.

They say anything worth having is worth fighting for.
Then fight. 
Fight whatever is stopping you from doing the right thing.

Fight to understand, to learn, to obey, to listen, to hear,
to improve, to love, to believe, to dream, to build, to create,
to pity, to sympathise, to support, to encourage, to have faith,
to be equal, to be heard.

Because it's a life worth fighting for.


Pretty heavy stuff, but we're living in an intense world so whatevs. Hope you all have a great week. Thanks for reading!

Dios te bendiga,

Eilidh