I Am Not Playing I Have a Life To Live Here

In the book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the author, Paulo Freire, says.

Hope, however, does not exist in crossing one’s arms and waiting. As long as I fight, I am moved by hope; and if I fight with hope, then I can wait. As the encounter of men seeking to be more fully human, dialogue cannot be carried on in a climate of hopelessness.

I had a conversation tonight with someone, who probably has not read Paulo Freire’s book, but has exemplified what he was saying in her day-to-day living of her life.
It felt like I was riding a huge electrical bull from an Alien planet. It was coming hard and fast, but then, in an instant I surrendered to the communication and made a decision to have the exchange. I decided to do what my Companion Henry did so often and so well, just listen. I realized that my job was to just actively listen. To take it all in and to not react or respond until I could hear when it was time. The deeper I listened the more I found myself surrendering to all that was being said . I was rewarded with a fun exchange. I didn’t need to have answers, just questions. There was such a freedom and joy with this process.

After about fifty minutes I expressed to her what I was feeling and observing. She acknowledged what I felt and was seeing was truly happening. Then she said something that really rang true for me.

“ I am not playing. I have a life to life here”.

Wow, what a wonderful way of looking at life. I could feel the truth in her words and why I call her the Bull. In truth she is playing. Play is a part of life. What I sense she was really saying was, “I am not messing around”. I am working and learning and have a deep desire to find the fulfillment in my life. It made realize that people around us, governments, corporations, families and educational systems, are not trying to encourage one to live a life. It’s more about survival, compliance and the new one sustainability. I realized that my companion (wouldn’t have called her that when we first started the conversation) has been reaching for some time for a life beyond all of creations traps and tricks.

The American dream is something that we have all been told to pursue and after chasing it we are seeing the assassins killing it off one by one. People are occupying Wall Street, marching against government, all in trying to shift their bank accounts back into a positive flow. None of this will bring them the fulfillment or life they desire. It won’t stop the foreclosures of homes built with Loot. The All is calling for payment on principle. For greater embracing of change. My companion told me a little story about when she was desirous of more life flow. She acknowledged the desire and put Mickey Mouse in her heart for 3 days and things happened that amazed her.

Hope has to be worked, along with trust and as my companion expressed tonight, with the recognition that each of us has a life to live here. No one is going to give that to us, each individual has to fight to obtain it. Freedom comes at a price. Are you willing to pay?

Things I learned from tonight’s phone call.

First, surrender is important to learning

Second, similar to fresh baked bread, you have to see people new in the moment, especially if change has occurred. Reflecting on history is a waste of time and energy.

Thirdly, patience and listening are key to life’s adventure.

Share on Facebook

This is a great time to be alive. You can hear it in the music of Beyonce and Will.i.am. It’s a new day full of opportunities that are unleashing our individual expressions and evoking waves of change. It feels like a tsunami has overtaken the world and we are being bathed in the sea of hope that we haven’t seen in quite some time.

In the book “Pedagogy of Hope”, written by Paulo Freire. The author takes dead aim at the principle of hope His thesis is about the teaching of hope and the impact that hope can have on the world. It is the follow up to his book, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”, which discusses the teaching of Oppression. I read and constantly refer to both of these books as my personal guidebook to understanding my role in the world. The one important principle that Friere addresses in “Pedagogy of the Oppressed “ is the responsibility of both the oppressed and the oppressor to bring about change. Friere speculates that the oppressed have to learn how to love the oppressor and the oppressor has to learn how to let go of power. I feel Obama will Sheppard this change with his leadership and heart.

“Freire reminds us that a critical understanding of oppression will not succeed in and of itself in achieving liberation from oppression. Nevertheless, the comprehension of oppression is “indispensable” to a new vision of the world based on justice and freedom. Hope helps us to “understand human existence, and the struggle needed to improve it.”

With the economy in the crapper, job uncertainty at an all time high, and a 700 billion dollar bailout that seems flawed at every turn, there still seems to be a spirit of hope that resonates much louder than the problems themselves. Change is similar to death, and I am not sure that the American people fully realize this. The tidal wave of change that we are anticipating will come with some casualties. From the Civil War to the Civil Right Movement, we had to endure loss to realize the victory. Victory is here, it’s at our doorstep, awaiting us to take up arms and embrace the new battles of Gettysburg and Selma.

The conscience has brought about this great change in the form of President-Elect Obama. He is a symbol of a new day that brings with it new opportunities and hope. For there to be a real change and not just s shift in the ways we do things can’t happen without some bumps and bruises.

I am very happy to be alive to witness the spirit in action. Have you noticed that more people mention spirit now than ever before? We can call feel it and it’s hard to deny. Our failing companies need spirit more than a 700 billion dollar bailout. The mind has run out of options. It has nowhere else to go, other than to the conscience. America voted for conscience over the mind when it elected Obama as President. I have hope that we all will get though these tough financial times with a greater appreciation of each other. It is time for each of us to expand our luvving and to seek the freedom that has long been lost. Luvv has gotten us through tough times before and it can do the same thing again if we allow it.

IT’S A GREAT TIME TO BE ALIVE. ENJOY IT, EMBRACE IT AND LEARN FROM IT.

Share on Facebook