Just a Quick Thought

I just read a quote that really got me thinking about all of the work we do as advocates and what makes it so important:

"Survivors who speak out are, by nature, activists because they are disrupting the flow of Society."

I am taken back to sci-fi shows of young. Almost every episode in any science fiction serial deals with the possibility of travel through time and/or space. Going back in time and crushing the proverbial insect changes the world——fast-forward to present and the world is ruled by giant flies, or killer tomatoes...

Everyday we live is a gift. Whether you are a Survivor, or a relative, friend, an ally, even if you are someone who hasn't consciously met or known a Survivor, you are affected by this global network of people dedicated to stopping the spread of violence.

Over the past few weeks, as I said before, I competed in several local Miss America competitions. The interviewing preparation process really got my gears turning about all of the violence that has arisen in the wake of 9/11 and the Arab & African Springs.

What it all comes down to: FREEDOM. The freedom to exist in a compassionate world, the freedom to vote, worship, speak, engage, and relate to others without reservation. This is a future people are willing to lay their lives down for. It is a road paved of corpses, laden with the sanguine of patriots and champions of the oppressed.

The question we have forgotten to ask is why? We don't live in an ideal world. We are imperfect creatures, but the push of progress toward a world without violence is undeniable.

We must work together to make what are the seemingly smallest of changes, because we are molding the world in our image. If we leave this earth covered in sanguinous fingerprints, our legacy will be nothing more than primitive survival of the fittest.

Our history has always been driven by the idea of 'progress'——the definition of which can be broken down no further than amelioration in all areas of life.

So, ask yourself, what am I doing to make the world a better place? You exist. Make your existence honest and pure, live with your values, beliefs, actions, and reactions in aligned with one another and spread the message of goodwill.

Perhaps changing one person's mind or educating them on the Facts of Violence——dating, domestic, sexual, inter-personal, bullying——will mean that the world of our chidren, our children's children, their great-great-great grand children, and so on will mean a future eradicated of all forms of violence. Perhaps it won't...

There are no statistics to support this notion but is the possibility of a better world not worth the chance?

LIATG
xox

M