Being the change we want to see

For some today is the day. The day that their world changes, maybe forever, possibly witnessing a day that many thought impossible. For others, it's just another day, maybe carrying a little extra weight because of this casting selection to the political theater we have been watching for the last 21 months. But it's just a Tuesday in November like so many other Tuesdays and Novembers that have come and passed. Whether the former or the latter, I encourage all to do something a little bit different today. Yes, get out and vote. Not for me, not for a particular candidate, but for yourself. Impact your lives by getting involved in politics, taking a stand, not being complacent. These are definitely interesting and definitely changing times we are living in. Don't let those changes pass you by or not be in your favor. Be a part of the world you want to see. Create it. Contribute to it. Live it and love it.

Beyond going out to vote, I also encourage others to do something different within their personal lives. Get up and go jog if you have been meaning to get in shape for a while. Go watch a movie if you have been meaning to get some down time and ease some stress. Invest in a project. Finish a project. Project your light unto the world. Once again, these are definitely interesting and definitely changing times we are living in. There doesn't have to be too much emphasis placed on this moment, but some acknowledgement should be there. On a personal tip, I voted for Barack Obama. Yes, I believe he is a change that we have been looking for, but I also believe in the change that is going on in the world. From better intercultural relationships on the 'people's level', to more confidence from Africans in being 'authentically' African, to my (young) generation assuming leadership positions in many institutions, organizations, and cultures, I believe there is a spirit going around, a fundamental shift that is occurring within the lives and the consciousness of so many people. Yes, indeed, there is more hope, more opportunity, more potential today than I believe there was yesterday. And I believed this before Barack's candidacy for president. However, his rise, effort, and accomplishments have only confirmed this belief. I can now see that not only is change something that I feel, it is something that a whole lot of people feel.

Now, how do actualize this change, this opportunity to grasp the better? Well, only we can answer that. It's like how we say in the capoeira world: Go with the flow but also control the flow. It's about balance. Point is, we can feel change and want change, but if we don't actually put some action behind it, some physical effort to match our mental trains of thought, then we won't be going anywhere with our ideas. It'll just be that: an idea. But if we do something, back up our talk, live in moment and not just live for the moment, we can be anything, and I mean and believe anything, we want to be. We are the ones we've been waiting for.

I won't write too much more right now. I just wanted to post something. I just wanted to record the fact that I am thinking about this right now. I just wanted to do something a little bit different this morning and write when the thought is fresh on my mind, like I have been meaning to do for a while...and be the change I want to see.