Good morning beautiful W3,
“Share. Share a moment. Share a breath. Share a whisper. Share a heartbeat. It doesn’t take long, and we as women we are are our own worst enemies. We don’t give ourselves permission to do it. Take the time. There’s more magic to be had.“ ~ Christa
I said this at our retreat back in 2011 and now here we are … together … sharing all the time whether here via email, in the discussion group, in the book club, on the page, in our chat sessions …
And it is not just me sharing – you are emailing me, telling me about you, commenting on FB, sharing the new website (thank you so much!), forwarding my emails … I can’t tell you how truly blessed I am having you all in my life.
I reply to the comments in a thread on Facebook and there are so many of you I recognize and it feels like chatting with old friends … even though we’ve never met “in the real world” YET.
And so I feel safe enough with you to share something I received in my inbox that resonated strongly with me. It’s actually a reflection of conversations I had been having with other women and community leaders and Emmy Wu said it so well – I wanted to share it in whole with you.
(oh, and I do kind of have an alter ego of CT lol … that’s another story to share but it’s me.)
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SHARE THE WORDS:
I was afraid to send this but …
I’ve been terribly wrong about something CT…
All the negative and scary things going on in the world right now had cornered me into silence. I didn’t want to see it any more because it angered and hurt me so much. I was scared to speak up because I feared judgment and retaliation. And truthfully, I often wondered if saying anything would change anything at all …
All I wanted to do was retreat, but that’s the wrong approach because it stems from fear … exactly what we’re fighting against in the first place.
Have you ever felt this way?
There comes a time when we must choose a side. By staying silent in the sidelines, we remain part of the problem. In fact, we perpetuate the problem because our silence replaces our voice.
By remaining silent, we’re ultimately saying, “I choose to not participate. I’m not part of the opposition.”
By speaking out, yes, we risk being criticized, scrutinized and shamed for our beliefs … but aren’t beliefs formed on equality and human rights worthy of defending? Are we that afraid of judgment that we can’t even stand by our convictions?
I don’t want to live that way. I doubt you do either. So what can we do?
It starts with personal responsibility.
When we disagree with someone’s viewpoint, it’s natural to point out why they’re wrong, and we’re right. It’s human instinct to feel anger bubble up and want to use words that cut like a knife. We immediately create an “us versus them” dynamic so we can shield ourselves from the ignorance. We want to hurt, retaliate, cut them down.
But we are reacting out of fear. Even when morality is on our side, if we use these tactics, we’ve failed already because we’re using the very strategies that we’re fighting so hard against.
It’s time for a different approach that approaches fear with love.
The next time you see someone posting on social media in a way that’s demeaning, racist or hurtful, instead of pounding your retaliation onto the keyboard, seek to educate. Share personal experiences (or credible facts) that sheds light on a different perspective. Kind words that don’t immediately trigger defenses are how we can start conversations that eventually ripple into change.
If a loved one holds a viewpoint that’s detrimental, instead of brushing it under the rug, it’s your responsibility to show them that there is a different way. Not through scaring or shaming them, but by lovingly explaining why it’s detrimental.
There’s a better chance that they’ll listen to you, then someone on the street or social media.
Because hatred is founded on fear, we cannot combat fear with more fear. Each and every single one of us must take on the personal responsibility to educate and support the transformation of fear-based judgment, into knowledge-based compassion.
It’s a daunting task, but it’s never been more important.
And no, you may not change their minds in one conversation. You might even provoke anger or a heated debate. But that’s OKAY. That’s how conversations are started and perspectives are changed. And human rights IS worth coming together in solidarity for, right CT?
In dark times, there’s a tremendous opportunity for growth. So whether we go into hiding, or step into a bigger responsibility, the choice is, ultimately, yours. What will you choose to do with your power?
To stepping up,
Emmy
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I will admit I thought long and hard before sharing this with you W3. But I came to this place in it all.
This isn’t about politics, religion, right or wrong. It IS about what we talk about all the time here in W3 … stepping into our power. To me, it is about standing together in sisterhood for one another and overcoming fear together, and of course … it is about diminishing the energy of hate in our world.
And we have the power to do that! It makes me think of Maya Angelou and a story she told on Oprah …
SHARE THE VIDEO:
Your Words Have Power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMLdLOeWrAo
SHARE THE EVENT:
Wild and Wise Meditation for Peace: https://business.facebook.com/events/2135499093346452
This event is happening on September 24 and the vision is to have Wild and Wise Women from all over the world taking 10 minutes in that 24 hour period to focus and meditate for peace.
Peace in the world, peace in your home, peace in your community, in your neighborhood, in your heart, in your life. Peace was the state I craved when I started my work and collective energy is a very powerful force W3.
So I guess today’s REAL share W3 is … a sharing of personal power.
Yours, mine, ours.
You Are Loved,
PS. I hope you feel moved to share W3 with the wild and wise in your life. Whether this message, or using the share buttons on our website, or posts from our FB page (our videos were viewed over 10,000 times combined last week – thank you!) every share truly is sharing the love! xo
Photo by Seth Doyle on Unsplash