There is a saying: “Everyone is born unique … but most of us die copies.” We copy the lies and truth of our families … the joys and betrayals of our lover … the envy and devotions of our friends and relatives, and the myriad people who traverse the landscape of our lives. But we were meant to be more than just copies. We were meant to be co-creators in a universe waiting to rejoice in the magnitude of who we are. We were not meant to settle for less out of fear … shame … or any misguided sense of responsibility. We were meant to be great … and lead extraordinary lives.—Essay, 2008
We were meant to stand for more than just something … and to be more than just anything. It’s been said that, to be born a human being, instead of a snake, is a wonderful opportunity, so whether we know it or not, we are obligated simply by the unique nature of our being to be more.
And we can be.
We start out like everybody else with our likes and dislikes—and we are very upfront and straightforward about them; we trust both ourselves and others to do and be who they say they are. During this childhood, the most honest season of our lives, the nascent defining of ourselves has little to do with outside labels, and everything to do with who we are—deep down in our soul where the spirit is always young and self affirming.
It is our innocence that gives us this extraordinary ability to see the world in a brighter light, but as we grow older, we encounter the ills and foibles of the larger society; we become jaded, and our sense of wonder stunted. On the doorsteps of adolescence, we bare the weight of an awareness that is indicative of our coming of age … the loss of our innocence, and along with it, our emerging sense of self.
Understanding this is crucial in the resurrection of our childhood spirit. Acknowledging that we had surrendered, at some point, to the assault on our psyche, by those who both love and loath us in our efforts to be more, is the hardest confession we will ever make, but one that we must make if we are ever to truly live up to our individual potential.
The truth is simple, we become what we believe … and what we believe in and about ourselves is the substratum on which we will build the indelible character of our person.
Who am I … is more than just a question I ask myself. It is a question that will be asked of me over and over again by the world at large, and in every challenging situation I might encounter. How I answer will depend on what I believe and know to be true about whom I am, and what I stand for—deep down in my soul, where the spirit is always young and self affirming.
So what do I believe?
I believe that being human is a privilege and a gift; with a sense of self and purpose that acknowledges its imperfection while striving to be more.
I believe that honesty, if not the best, is a pretty good policy … and that people who don’t blame others for their personal despairs are probably more fair minded … and those who make no excuses for their failures usually win in the end.
I believe in group affliction and individual triumphs; that there was a holocaust, a middle passage, a trail of tears. I believe we are all prophets in the fulfillment of our own destinies, and that we can always be better than our faulted histories.
I believe that age is but a number, and that black, white, rich, poor, liberal, and conservative are simply generalizations that separate us from one another and make impossible the peace of the world.
