“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
James A. Baldwin
Cover Art by @ohhappydani (Instagram)
A lot is happening in the world right now, namely with the Black Lives Matter movement which has gone unheard for far too long, and America is on the forefront. There is a massive call to action, one bigger than my generation has ever seen. Many people have a thousand questions, thoughts, and beliefs swirling in their brains right now, causing a loss for words and an unknowing of what to do or how to help.
I believe the biggest way we can all help to instill meaningful, legitimate change is to go inward; to take a long hard look in the mirror and to question everything we know… everything we thought we knew.
Because I promise you, there are beliefs in there that you don’t realize are there, much less governing your thoughts and actions. Almost our entire belief system is formed prior to the age of 10 years old… and though it can be changed through personal growth & development, many times, it goes completely unchecked, leaving your life run by a system of subconscious limiting beliefs instilled by and from the conditioning of others & society.
We need to learn to grow, and in order to learn, we need to unlearn.
In order to unlearn, we need to go inward.
I won’t bullshit you and tell you this is going to be easy. It’s not – it’s going to be uncomfortable and unsettling and fcking hard. It’s going to be unnerving to look at the parts of you straight in the face that are not only not serving you, but they are not serving anyone else either. It’s even tougher when you realize that you, too, have unknowingly said or done things in your past that have harmed or offended others. Regardless of your intentions.
So go ahead and feel whatever you feel around that, really sit with it and really take a look at it. We need to be aware of our past and our present – our thoughts and our actions – in order to make a positive, impactful change in the future.
You can go do all the big things, but if your intentions behind them are not aligned, it can only go so far. We need to do the big things coming from a place of genuine love – the kind where we sit down and do the hard stuff behind the scenes, when no one is watching. Because we’re not doing it to prove to our friends that we’re a “good person,” – no – we’re doing it because the love we have for all humans is so deep that there is simply no other option than finding the deepest kind of love within ourselves, thus empowering ourselves to empower others to empower the fcking world.
Love is not just posting on social media, and signing petitions. It is not just going to a protest and holding a sign. It is so much more than that. Real love – the kind that will constitute true change for the permanent future – knows no bounds, and knows no inconvenience.
If you are unwilling to sit down and ask yourself the difficult questions, and answer those with honest difficult answers, then everything else you do will be coming from a place of unaligned intentions, resulting in unaligned actions – aka you’re running in circles making yourself think you’re doing something and being the best you, so you feel good, but you’re not actually contributing in a way that we need at this point.
I understand this is harsh. I understand this may cause some of you to roll your eyes, or spew out loud that I’m just another white girl full of shit. Well if that’s you – then I have one question for you: What are you afraid of?
If that’s you, you just got triggered, like it or not. And that trigger is there for a reason. It is showing you a part of you that needs to be heard and healed. & if that trigger resulted in anger, dismissal, frustration, anxiety or any of the neighboring feelings, then I can tell you it is not serving you and it is not helping the cause. Because it means there is something in there that does not want to face how at one point or another, you have been a part of the problem.
Well, you’re not special in that regard – most of us have been. And that is something we can and must learn from. & once again, that requires going inward.
Take a good look at your internal world – what would our external world look like if it directly reflected your exact inner belief system?
Yeah, sit with that one.
Personal development is not some woo-woo bullshit that people spread on social media to earn money. It can be – if you decide to leave it at the surface level. But TRUE personal development is no joke – it forces you to look at who you are, who you are embodying, your traumas and your hurt, your pain and your past… it forces you to uncover the parts of you that you hate, that you fear.
Once you make the commitment to personal growth & change – cut the shit kind of commitment, none of this half-assed bs – there is no longer an option not to do the work. You have awoken your higher self, and you know that there is a version of you in there that will light up this fcking world. & let me tell you, if everyone sat down and took the time to find & heal themselves, we wouldn’t be in a mess like this one, where we have to fcking justify the lives of people of color that ARE NO FCKING DIFFERENT AT THEIR CORE THAN ANYONE ELSE.
For fucks sake, people. What the fuck are we doing here?
A life is a fucking life.
So put your pride aside, and face your privilege. Face your shit. Heal it. Replace your hate & replace your fear with love. Do the work, and help to raise the vibration of this planet.
But first, start by raising the vibration of yourself.
With Love, Light & Good Vibes,
Ash xx
This does not just apply to the Black Lives Matter movement; this applies with any oppressed or marginalized communities & movements. So ask yourself – are there any other privileged social identities hiding behind your ego? Then go ahead and re-read this & insert the other communities that could use your authentic, real-love based voice.
