I am a Queer, Disabled, white cisgender Female writer on a journey to try and write some autobiographical material. And one of the things that I am bumping up against inside of myself, is not wanting to tell a story that is just "one more narrative of how I became a hero for overcoming all that I have overcome"... and, in reality it has …
I am a Queer, Disabled, white cisgender Female writer on a journey to try and write some autobiographical material. And one of the things that I am bumping up against inside of myself, is not wanting to tell a story that is just "one more narrative of how I became a hero for overcoming all that I have overcome"... and, in reality it has been a lot. I have overcome a hell-a-bucketful. Yet, if we really want to be honest in this conversation, "the hero (or heroine) story" is actually completely mainstream. Instead, I want all the nuances of my lived experience to be present. That is the challenge isn't it? HOW do we each tell the full story of our lives? And WHO gets to tell the full story of our lives?
What we are experiencing in the US now, and increasingly worldwide, is the attempt at balancing cultural narratives. By balancing, I mean finally hearing the primary stories of those that have been lost and silenced, including the hidden and repressed narratives of nation states. We are experiencing what happens when historically marginalized voices are finally centered. Perhaps or the first time in their lives, those who are living status-quo lives (as well as those who "pass" for status quo) begin to experience what it means to not have access to every space that is out there, or even to be silenced. OUCH. Yes... it hurts.
But instead of dropping into empathy, and saying "oh wow! this is what they are all talking about..." and then opting to open up to what is newly possible when all voices are heard -- we rail against it.
Our country desperately needs to find this balance. And in order for the pendulum to swing back to the middle, it's going to take some time. A pendulum has to swing all the way in one direction and back and forth for a while, until balance comes. So, what would it mean if we take all the time needed to continue to center voices from the margins until there were a collective out-breath? A big sigh…
To know that ALL the stories are being heard, will take some serious maturity -- both individual and collective. To listen long enough will take some serious discipline -- both individual and collective.
And, all we seem to have right now, is self-centered pandering.
I am a Queer, Disabled, white cisgender Female writer on a journey to try and write some autobiographical material. And one of the things that I am bumping up against inside of myself, is not wanting to tell a story that is just "one more narrative of how I became a hero for overcoming all that I have overcome"... and, in reality it has been a lot. I have overcome a hell-a-bucketful. Yet, if we really want to be honest in this conversation, "the hero (or heroine) story" is actually completely mainstream. Instead, I want all the nuances of my lived experience to be present. That is the challenge isn't it? HOW do we each tell the full story of our lives? And WHO gets to tell the full story of our lives?
What we are experiencing in the US now, and increasingly worldwide, is the attempt at balancing cultural narratives. By balancing, I mean finally hearing the primary stories of those that have been lost and silenced, including the hidden and repressed narratives of nation states. We are experiencing what happens when historically marginalized voices are finally centered. Perhaps or the first time in their lives, those who are living status-quo lives (as well as those who "pass" for status quo) begin to experience what it means to not have access to every space that is out there, or even to be silenced. OUCH. Yes... it hurts.
But instead of dropping into empathy, and saying "oh wow! this is what they are all talking about..." and then opting to open up to what is newly possible when all voices are heard -- we rail against it.
Our country desperately needs to find this balance. And in order for the pendulum to swing back to the middle, it's going to take some time. A pendulum has to swing all the way in one direction and back and forth for a while, until balance comes. So, what would it mean if we take all the time needed to continue to center voices from the margins until there were a collective out-breath? A big sigh…
To know that ALL the stories are being heard, will take some serious maturity -- both individual and collective. To listen long enough will take some serious discipline -- both individual and collective.
And, all we seem to have right now, is self-centered pandering.