What if…?
I had just turned 15 when I watched Hair for the first time.
I was captivated. Enchanted.
It was about freedom. Freedom from being… and freedom for doing… and freedom to be…
It had sparked in me something that has not left me since - the questions of:
Why is the system superordinate to the actual human being? Who decides that?
What if there are other ways of contributing to humankind - and not just the one prescribed by the existing structures? And what can we do about it?
How open is the system to learning and adapting to new insights?
What if there are different, more fruitful, more innovative, more creative ways of being and doing?
What if the purpose of existence lies in diversity and not uniformity?
What is really the purpose of compliance? And again, why is the system superordinate to the actual human being… when the human being is the one co-creating the system?
My mother, who had seen the musical years before, laughed at my infatuation. “So idealistic”, she said.
I guess that very idealism hasn’t left me since, either.
I got life, mother…
I got laughs, sister…
I got freedom, brother…
I got good times, good times, man…
A mother myself now, I feel the pull of these questions above even more strongly than before, continuously wandering between the instinct of tending to the uniqueness of the human beings I brought into the world and the unspoken but noisy mandate of conditioning them to the societal expectations.
No person is an island - our very existence presupposes relationality. Yet, as we navigate life, inevitably meeting, colliding with, and passing by the microcosms of numerous individuals we encounter, the question remains:
How do we relate constructively to the socially contracted systems of being while simultaneously preserving the core, pure integrity of self?
Imagine if we chose to amplify the most luminous threads of each human from the very beginning, to dial up the natural strengths that make up their essence, to nurture their loves and their passions… allowing them to branch out and emerge with originality only they can contribute to the world.
Imagine if we decided to do away with the unwavering superimposition of the rules for how to be… and the expectation to minimise ourselves from context to context, just so we can function in society. Imagine if we at least took the time to reflect on those rules, instead of being submerged by the calculated upholding of “that’s just how it is“ and “this is how it’s always been done“.
What would be the prerequisites for the world to evolve in the direction of cultivating diversity, positive regard, collaboration, contribution - and life?
As it often is the case with my explorations, I don’t have a poignant punchline to wrap up this stream of thoughts… Trusting that every reader will make their own meaning, I invite you to hit the play button above and escape with Treat Williams for a couple of minutes.
With kindness in mind, word, and action,
Irena
