Fine Lines
My heart soars when I see video footage of the masses of people who are raising their voices and making their presence known on Wall Street in New York City.
For almost two weeks now, activists and regular folks, union members, airline pilots, celebrities and more have used non-violent resistance to occupy parts of New York City to call for systemic changes in our country’s financial and political systems.
When I watch interviews with people protesting, I can understand the frustration and anger that is voiced. Yet, as with any protest, there is the potential for that anger itself to obscure the calls for change. The message can become murky and ineffective. I have participated in many protests over the years and I’ve been there. I’ve been the one holding signs and shouting out.
There is a fine line.
The fine line, as I see it here, is that movable and difficult to see space where there is a shift. What begins as advocacy for change and alternatives to systems that are not working fairly (or at all) morphs, instead, to a cacophony of raw emotion dominated by anger, divisiveness and righteousness– where intentions to be nonviolent and the proposed changes get lost.
This is not necessarily what is going on with Occupy Wall Street*. I’ve not traveled to New York City and I certainly haven’t seen everything that is going on at the protests. From what I’ve seen and read online, it appears to me that some very powerful messages are being conveyed to leaders of the political and financial sectors.
My hope is that the nonviolent resistance and the clear calls for substantive and specific changes will continue, resulting in a fairer and more equitable country and world.
But, there are those fine lines to be aware of.
On a personal level, there are most certainly fine lines too.
Sometimes I just “need” to rant. If I’ve had a bad day or something happens that really pisses me off, venting and blowing off steam to my husband or a friend can feel so good. At what point, however, have I invested so much energy in my rant that I am entrenched in it?
At what point is my desire to live an ease-full, joyful life undermined by my attachment to this past event that left me steaming…and continuing to steam and fume?
At what point have I crossed the fine line from venting to living in past angst for hours, days or longer?
There are all kinds of fine lines that can come up, even in the course of a person’s day.
When I claim that a slight from another person is “no big deal,” am I letting an unpleasant situation roll off my back or have I crossed that fine line into avoiding conflict by merely pretending that I don’t care?
When I “let go” of a painful past experience, am I truly releasing it and living more in the present moment or have I crossed the fine line and am only pushing aside what’s uncomfortable?
Fine lines are NOT a good/bad dichotomy.
I’m not saying that there is a “good” side of a fine line and a “bad” side. To get caught up in such a dichotomy only bogs us down further. I’m also absolutely NOT claiming to know where these imaginary lines should or could be drawn.
My invitation here is for each of us to be aware of the fine lines that are at play in our lives. These vary depending on habits, temperament and priorities. It’s up to you to figure out what your own fine lines are just as it’s up to me to determine what are mine.
The question each of us might ask ourselves is this: “Will this action/statement help me grow and move in the direction I want to go?” Ask this question, or one like it, of yourself often. Be aware of where you are in terms of your own fine lines and make conscious decisions that will help you align with your wiser self and essence.
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*For more information about Occupy Wall Street, visit: http://occupywallst.org/
*Photo by David Shankbone.
