MLK: Dare To Dream

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Amidst chaos emerges serenity. - Poetry quote Shazi, 2014

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace, and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

    As I reflect back upon these words, which I originally wrote in 2014, it is interesting that they have arrived at the forefront of my memory, as I think in moments of chaos. Actually I'm guessing that the chaos has eased somewhat, because according to my original thought, serenity arrives after going through chaos. Thought or creating some sort of order in thought cannot happen when there is disorder, chaos, too much of something, thoughts, opinions, bombardment of information, or even when life becomes disorderly, and a bit too much to handle. This is life, it has +/-. But how we remain focused, get through points of disruption can also be defining moments of character, and it is also when survival instincts begin to activate. 

     From chaos I was able to find serenity as I thought, and I saw the many children / students delivering speeches to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The students conveyed their hopes, dreams, and desires. I wondered if anything has changed, do we still encounter injustice, hate, racism, prejudices? The answer to this question is yes. There are struggles that individuals, groups, and societies continue to face. Of course we can say minorities people from various ethnicities, gender bases, and also people who are visibly and invisibly disabled encounter these. Although I do think that there has been social progress, progressions, and efforts from both minority and majority groups - progress cannot halt, it should always continue to evolve. As society evolves, new issues, or issues that were once not talked about will come to surface. We can think of gender equity as historic, but it is through present discussions, and actions that we visibly see and hear their societal importance, through the development of Pride parades throughout the world, or the recent voices and concerns of sexual harassment with the rising of the #MeToo campaign. What is common to current topical discussions, is that there will be people who are supportive, and people who are not supportive. For example: The #MeToo campaign is receiving criticism that it has stretched too far from its original goals. It has stretched the case for harassment, without acknowledging the case for sexual freedom. 

     We can also think about current topics and voices in terms of who gets to decide what is important to talk about, and what is not? Sexual harassment in any case where there is no consent, or even when women don't know that they have been raped, when in actual fact they have. Or weather they choose to act upon their claims or not, it is their choice. There is a sensitivity around these issues. How one chooses to respond will be dependant upon many factors, one that includes culture. For example: South Asian culture has tabooed topics that discuss sex, sexual relations, and rape. We can also think about how cultural response intersects with religion. How does belonging to a certain culture, being a person of minority, and to a certain religion decide how one acts and responds to sexual harassment? While it is good to openly begin these discussion, even where there elements of taboo, we have to remember that there are such freedoms such as sexual freedoms which are protected. Conversations such as these could implicitly be moments where women purposely bash men. Women must also acknowledge that there are supportive men who want women and girls to succeed, and are not interested to get sex, in order to see women flourish.  

     I recently shared the following thoughts via Instagram:

An interesting conversation that women very well know exists, is women hating on women. Some reasons are legitimate. But on a more broader scale, I think that if women are seeking gender equity, there must also be equity within a gender. Where a woman is genuinely loving, caring, compassionate about another woman. Or a woman is interested in another woman's success as much as her own. Society would flourish a lot more if women saw the tremendous value of creating relationships that were equitable within gender. This thought can also be transferred to all genders, to strive to reach equity within genders. 

So amidst the chaos, I present these words in with the hopes of the children and students who shared their dreams. While these is harshness within the world, we can or should never loose the hope and desire of creating betterment, or seizing to dream. My thoughts to share with love and kindness! :) 

Notes: Thes thoughts were originally hand-written on January 15th 2017.
Image 1 - Web Link
Image 2 - Instagram post 
Image 3 - Web Link