create peace | reverse threading

quotes from the pointed video above:

“…our duty to be there for others…”

“…learn critical thinking…to empower you…”

“…the power of your voice…”

it is the imperative of an artist, the obligation of humankind.

it is showing up, speaking up, speaking out.

it is not in keeping the peace but in creating peace and protecting the rights of all in a peaceful world.

and sometimes that is risky.

i can hear it – woke. i can hear it – liberal. i can hear it – snowflake. i can hear it – asshole. nothing i haven’t heard before. so call me what you will.

i can feel it – the risk. i can feel it – the pushback. i can feel it – the stern you-stay-in-line-don’t-you-make-waves. i can feel it – the reactionary disagreement sans any discussion. i can feel it – the write-off.

but this one life we each get – this one very precious and extraordinary life – the one during which we all breathe in and out pretty much the same way – the one where you can live authentically (and flawed) or falsely (and flawed) – this life is to live, to not fear – this life demands our voices.

and these words: surround yourself with people who fight for you even in rooms you aren’t in…

i don’t want to hesitate to be that person. to take it on – the slight, the wrongdoing, the injustice. i don’t want to be silent again because i won’t upset you that way. i don’t want to be voiceless yet again in the face of yet another betrayal.

i wish to relinquish my life-long peacekeeper role.

these here are those days.

instead, i want to speak up for me. i want to speak up for people – for peoples – i don’t even know. speak up for justice, for equality, for kindness.

to speak against cruelty and division. to have no allegiance to bigotry, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia. to speak to truth, question propaganda. to reject being complicit. to push back against the ugliest ugly even if it makes me unpopular.

to steel myself away from keeping the peace.

to not stay quiet.

to be full of voice.

to stand up.

in all the rooms.

*****

read DAVID’s thoughts this TWO ARTISTS TUESDAY

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a morsel of the painting PAX

pax: the kiss of peace (latin); peace (ecclesiastical latin)

“pax,” he wrote to me. years ago, in a chaotic, somewhat scary time of my life, the word “pax” was an end-goal, security in an insecure world, the warmest blanket on a bitter cold day. it doesn’t just happen. there are people around us, some epicentered and some peripherally, who create a place where we can find this peace, even momentarily. their stalwart stance, their steadiness brings us back off the brink of angst. the smallest iota of peace, like a mustard seed, grows until we can balance back on our own feet, strong enough to walk on…with leaps or even baby steps.

this painting makes me think of one of those people in my own life. a dear deeply-valued friend, his help and his accessibility helped me deal with someone else’s craziness unfortunately directed at me. he was the lighthouse in that storm for me. he helped me feel safer so that i could find peace in the chaos.

for various reasons, we don’t always realize when we are someone else’s rock. we don’t feel central, we don’t feel involved, we don’t feel informed. but there are times we don’t know – times we plant ourselves into someone’s life and nurture them, even in the tiniest of ways – times we may never know how much what we said or what we did counted. times of giving peace to someone else, one of life’s most essential elements.

“pax,” he wrote to me. thank you.

PAX mixed media 24″ x 24″

to view PAX in david’s gallery, please click here or on the painting above

read DAVID’S thoughts on this D.R. THURSDAY

reverse threading

the path back is the path forward

Tag Archives: create peace

voice. [kerri’s blog on two artists tuesday]

pax. [d.r. thursday]

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