For me, having an affect on a community is taking a stance for an idea, and being self aware with why that idea is meaningful to me. Once that selfawareness is defined then I have the ability to share or challenge my friends, my family, my community with it. The reason I need to know what I want from myself first is so that when other opinions and ideas come my way, I can listen to them, take them in, and decide if their opinion is what I stand for or if it crosses a line that I will not support.
Regardless of how I use my idea to effect others, how it affects me, how it will shape my life, has to be the foundation. I want to take into account what Angela Davis said about celebrating whatever accomplishments come even if they are a slight deviation from what the original intent. There are so many people in this competitive society that refuse to step back and pat themselves on the back for their accomplishments. I don’t want to be one of those many people.
bell hooks was talking about how people should aspire, not to blame others, but to take accountability for their actions. If I can take this idea with me into conversations with family, friends, and my peer group, those difficult conversations may have the potential of running more smoothly.
With this in mind, I have to remember that opportunities present themselves at the most random moments. I’ll have to use those moments to see how ready I am to be true to an idea of change, or if I’m going to cave into societal pressures, which could really leave a bad vibe: self regret or self satisfaction?
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