"I am an arms dealer, fitting you with weapons in the form of words"
Many of my generation know these lyrics well. I was belting them out in the shower just now. I was always a bit of an "emo kid". I still am, I suppose.
What do words have to do with Walter Mercado? Let's explore Laura's train of thought.
We've been talking a lot lately about the power of words. We've also been talking a lot lately about the power of empathy. About flipping the narrative.
It got me thinking about the ways we show and feel empathy and sympathy. About our own awareness to these topics.
I then spiraled to thinking about a world without empathy or sympathy, and what that might look like. And one that is over abundant in it. At the end of the spiral, I concluded that... 1) Needed to stop spiraling because I had sh*t to do 2) That balance is always necessary. Woah. Balance. What is that? We know we can't have light without dark. Every action has a reaction. How do we keep balance. That brought me back to a documentary I was watching the other night, and then here I am typing this blog instead. Spiral, spiral, spiral, spiral. Spokes on a wheel - so many directions to go. (We talk about this in an upcoming podcast). Ok. Breathe. Focus. Documentary. Words as weapons. This was the thought running through my head. Weapons to defend ourselves, weapons we use to feel heard, weapons that can hurt others. Words are part of our daily life - we write, we read, we speak, we hear. Flip it. Being a light in the world. Bringing light into the world. Not just life, and living, but light. What a fascinating concept. We can use words as weapons in a positive way. To speak our truth, to be a voice for others. Maybe not as weapons, but tools, change the connotation perhaps. Words as tools to build trust, words to heal. Words to fight for what is right, good, pure. I'm a big fan of watching documentaries. Learning about others, about their lives. In this case, I started watching this documentary on Walter Mercado. I was very very vaguely familiar with him. Walter was a light. His words, carefully stated. He bled what his truth is in this documentary and always - speaking directly from his hearts center. I can only work toward what that is like. Speaking not only to speak, but from the heart. Bringing that inner light outward to the world. Light. This is what this time of year is about for us in the Waldorf community. Bringing light into the world - the time of Martinmas. How do we become more vulnerable, bring more light, yet retain the balance of light and dark. How do we carefully choose our words... or maybe we don't? How do we be a beacon of hope, friendship, empathy - without burning ourselves out of course. Our words, and our thoughts, have so much power. Not only over us, and what we do, but over others as well - empathy, sympathy, apathy. How do we effectively communicate with others? How do we find the power in our words and use them for The Greater Good™. Walter says something in the documentary along the lines of "I will never retire. I'll die with my boots on". He lived fully in the light, as himself. For some that live in the light, it can be hard to go back to a dark place. For some that live in the light, it can be hard to go to a light place. I like to live in the grey area in-between. The stories we tell ourselves. How do we do this without burning ourselves out? Sometimes it takes energy to be nice. Sometimes we fake it. This isn't to say that you always have to live in light and carry positivity always. It's ok to not be ok (I'm going to write about that too!) I think it's possible to carry this light through our words. Speaking from the heart. Using our words as tools, not as weapons. Choosing the right tool for the job can be tricky to navigate sometimes.
Near the end of the documentary, Walter says "I'm going to be the best version of me. I never rehearse to be myself". I think that's a good line to live by.
Sending love & light,
~L
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