Action speaks louder than words.
And energy speakers louder than action.
Ever touched a really hot thing and spat profanities at an inanimate object?
The pain triggers a BIG reaction within us. It’s hot, it hurts, we could get seriously injured if we keep our hands on the hot thing.
So it makes sense that our instinct is to pull back.
The pulling away prevents further damage.
The profanities are more so a release of energy.
We tend to react to emotions in a similar way.
Especially anger.
Especially anger that’s not in its raw form.
Especially anger that’s actually built up resentment bubbling over and spitting out as aggression.
Especially anger that’s vengeful, filled with hate, blame, and spite.
Sometimes, emotions can blind up so severely we can’t see the forest from the trees.
And sometimes, when we are blind, we can feel helpless.
Helpless people tend to get to a point of either giving up or becoming reckless.
We spiral in, or out.
Spiraling in can lead to deep internal darkness; depression.
Spiraling out can cause tunnel vision and collateral damage as the person acts to prevent or disperse pain; activism/words/actions fuelled by pain intended to weaken, damage or destroy the perceived cause.
When activism is motivated from a place of pain, the energy behind the “good intention” isn’t matching the actions, we tend to create collateral damage. To self and others.
Whilst the action we make still has a ripple effect, it’s not the best use of our energy.
Any feeling from anger, resentment, fear, fury, rage, pain, grief to helplessness and despair are completely valid during a worldwide upheaval, activism fuelled by pain will inevitably beget pain. Perhaps collateral damage seems valid in such circumstances.
Perhaps looking down and hoping for change feels as much as we can do.
And I am in no way suggesting you should not feel any of these emotions or you are weakened, less than, unhelpful, wrong or out of line.
I’m suggesting that the power of the energy you hold is a far greater form of activism than what we might be used to seeing or believing is the only way.
It takes a great deal of courage to place down blame and holds the energy of joy, power, love, and freedom in times like now.
Luckily we’ve got it in gallons, love.
This is epic, your example of the soccer team reminds me of the same process Michael Jordan went through during his games, the Netflix documentary captures the same principles, he already envisioned/embodied that he would win and so he did.