There’s a lesson to be learned in everything; every experience; every situation (hence the references to Cardi and social justice in this blog’s title).
And this week for me, was no exception.
Let’s start by taking a trip down memory lane … *insert whimsical piano here to transition
Anddddd go!
I was in the 5th grade and my father took my sister and I out of school for the day to go see the movie Malcolm X.
I got back to school the next day on a mission. I shared what I saw with my friends and we all agreed that on our next writing assignment, we would present some prepubescent prose about our militant, pro-black ideas and expose what we understood to be the truth about the school, our teachers, and the system as a whole.
It seemed like a good idea at the time …
but it was an idea I only questioned …
when I found out …
That I was the only one who followed through with our carefully plotted plan …
leaving me sitting alone …
in the principal’s office.
And while my 11-year-old brain took quite some time to wrap itself around what happened, I now know that at that moment three things were (and still are) true:
- People will help you talk about the revolution, but no one will help you start it.
- Actually DOING what you SAY you’re going to do; LIVING the way you SAY you live, is a very difficult thing.
- Sometimes, living in your truth has serious consequences.
Turn on the TV and people are talking …
Scroll through your timeline and people are talking …
talking, talking, talking …
But I rarely see people actually DOING.
And I want to condemn those people … berate them for their inactivity, but before I point the finger at someone else, I try to take a look at myself.
And I have to admit that I’m doing the same exact thing and I think we all are in some way because DOING is a hard AF sometimes …
because …
see line items number 1, 2, and 3 above.
Now let’s fast forward from my embarrassing elementary school moments to last week.
I was having a conversation with a young woman who recently became a self-proclaimed “social justice warrior”. Sis went on to tell me how she admonished another woman for saying she was watching the football game in light of recent controversy. But she was having this conversation in a setting that could have been threatened her livelihood. Now I told her to chill TF out because a. sis has bills to pay and you have to be careful what you say and b. people have the right to choose and it was none of her business what that woman wants to watch on TV. But the conversation did get me to thinking …
Was she really wrong?
I mean, if she truly feels social justice is everyone’s responsibility and is standing in that truth, shouldn’t she have the freedom to live that in all spaces?
1, 2, and 3!
Fast forward to this weekend and this whole Cardi B/Nicki Minaj saga came to a head.
Now Cardi has said on multiple occasions that she’s about that hand game life (A.K.A. she has no qualms about punching somebody in the face). She said it in her Instagram videos, her music, and her interviews. Hell, she said it damn near every time she opens her mouth. But somehow people were appalled by her behavior when she attempted to lay the hand of the war Gods atop Nicki’s head. I mean, she said what she said … and she meant what she said. But what if the cops were called? What if Cardi was arrested? What if the companies endorsing her decided they no longer wanted her representing their brand?
But isn’t she just living her truth?
1, 2, and 3!
Now, I’m not saying that I agree with either of these women’s actions because I’m certainly not down with telling people what to watch on TV, running down on people ready to fight, or starting elementary school militias (pardon my youth, fam).
But as I looked back on my week and the things going on, I thought about myself and if I’m truly walking in my truth all of the time.
And I can tell you right now that I’m not because …
1, 2, and 3!
And while I’m not talking about things that can have immediate consequences like Cardi and my social justice warrior friend, the things I’m talking about can and will have personal consequences if I don’t DO what I say I’m going to. You see, I’m talking about …
Taking care of my body …
Making sure my mind is clear to make good decisions …
Making time for self-care …
And I really mean these things when I say them.
But it’s hard AF to eat vegetables when you want deep fried goodness; squirrel away your money when you really want (or need) a new pair of shoes; or commit to that 30 day detox program when all you really want is a vodka and pineapple juice.
It’s HARD MAN!
So as I said this to myself, I thought I should say it to y’all too …
Because if I haven’t learned anything from my adventures in blogging, it’s that we all have more in common than we think we do. And I can’t possibly be the only person gassing myself up with my words, but fizzling out in my actions sometimes.
So if you’re taking inventory of yourself and your words like I’ve been DOING,
I want you to stop being afraid of starting your own personal improvement revolution, because while it will be difficult, it will be worth it in the end.
Because the last thing I want, is for us to look up at this same time next year, and find the consequences of us not DOING what we say are that we’re in exactly the same space we’re in now.
So until next time,
I don’t want you throwing shoes at your arch nemesis at formal events,
Or scolding virtual strangers about their TV habits …
But I DO want you …
To make sure you’re actually DOING what you say you are …
Instead of thinking about it to the point …
That you think you’re actually doing it.
Love and Light!
Erin
What did you say?
You miss me when I’m gone?
You’re so kind! *blush, *blush
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