This is the reason our country needs Gay Pride, Sister Pride, Black Pride, Latino Pride, and Pagan Pride. These pride organizations offer people beacons to a place where they can begin building real confidence. We see White Pride or Man Pride as a negative thing because most people are confident that it’s okay to be White and a Man. Since we are confident, we’d have to drop down the ladder to be in pride.
Courageous Change!
For decades our society held our neighbors and sisters down to maintain the same pride that gave my gender, national, and sexual identities a huge jumpstart. Thankfully, there is a lot of evidence that as a nation we are stepping up into courage. Courage doesn’t need to push people down anymore. Even better, the closer to real confidence that courage gets, the less it is bothered by the bullying of prideful people.
So here is where we are. My courage and confidence were built from a pride maintained by holding many of you down. I wasn’t one of the people who joined in this, and I don’t apologize for the actions of others. However, when I am in a circle with someone and their anger or pride causes them to lash out at me, I intend to remember that my strength was built on their suffering . . . and be supportive.
The Vision.
I can see a day when I am part of a culture whose members have grown past the need to hurt each other. I can see us continuing this awesome journey toward truly understanding each other and ourselves.
Finally, every once in a while, I catch a glimpse of the powerful, loving, bright souls that we truly are . . . and I dream of the day in which that vision is commonplace.
Namaste.
Author of the blog Power Before Wisdom, Scott Reimers is also the creator of Archmage the Card Game and a founder of the group Reno Magick. He earns a living running his web-design company Simple Power Designs.
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