Oh, Walt, where are you when we need you most? What would he have to say about the Heidi Montags of our society, of the Jersey Shore "juice heads," of the countless images of shaped and chiseled bodies, not done by man, but by machine, plastered on billboards for all to see? Society has taken a turn for the weird, a turn for the sad. Sex tapes make you famous; having an educated opinion makes you treasonous.
Our innate ability to express ourselves as creative and independently-minded creatures is met with laughter and ridicule. Instead, we are playing follow the leader right off the proverbial cliff of self-awareness. I refuse to accept that humans are nothing but celluloid, air-brushed, hollow shells of our former spiritual selves. I encourage you to follow me on a journey whose destination is unknown to most -- where the body is not enslaved to those who fear it -- where it can be free to sing, to play, to express itself in all its glory. In this world, there is no repression of the mind, no repression of the spirit. In this world, one sees, not with the eyes, but with the heart. This is not cliche, this is truth. Only in this way can we find peace.
And, if you haven't noticed, we could use a dose of that for our collective consciousness. What is it that we fear so much about our sexuality, our spirituality, our humanity? It is all we can do to sit in judgment, to sit in ignorance, to sit in fear. If a woman enjoys sex, she is a slut. If a man is faithful to his partner, he is seen as effeminate. All of the traits that make us human are looked at with suspicion, with hostility. There is so much anger swelling in this nation, and while I understand the frustrations (on both sides of the aisle), I believe we have misdirected our venom, and instead of pointing fingers at the establishment, we point them, instead, at one another.
I know you are out there. I know you exist. Those rare few who dare to speak out amongst the cancerous mass. Those who look to their bodies and minds with pride; who aren't afraid to think, to engage, to age with dignity and grace. There are those amongst us who embody the greatest gift we are given; ourselves. I encourage you to step forward, knowing, still, that you will be met with resistance.
We have come so far from where we started; the true values of society once held so high: equality, love and understanding, are trampled on the floor, in the name of "freedom." Where has the innovation of the human spirit gone? She hides inside a swollen, frozen face, afraid to speak her heart, instead nods in blank agreement. Where has the picture of health retreated? He injects, himself, instead, full of toxin to achieve the outward appearance of perfection, while allowing his spirit to crumble, a result of imbalance from within.
Secretly, we know the truth. Rome is dying. She decays around us. Debauchery feeds off the lifeless corpse of enlightenment. What is celebrated is fleeting, what is encouraged, is replaceable. We fight endlessly over the last crumbs of supposed power, not realizing that the power within is much greater. Had we the courage to take back ourselves, only then, could we take back our society.
Think for a moment: what it would be like if we put down the remote, turned off the TV and ventured out on our own? What would happen if the laptop was no longer king -- if we left the cell phone in our house and just took a walk alone -- breathed in air, breathed in life? An awakening, I think. What would you do with your day, if you did not have preconceived notions of what you were to be, what you were supposed to be? Imagine if we could only just accept ourselves as works-in-progress and continue our journey to self-awareness fearlessly and joyfully. If we could sing our body electric, embrace our inner truths, think what greatness we could accomplish. The illuminating rays pulsating from our beings would ripple and permeate throughout creation, ourselves beacons of light for others to follow. Then, and only then, could we fully embrace our humanity, and in turn, live in harmony with the earth and with each other.
Sing with me.
