The Inevitable Nature

Recently I've had to sit with the occasional dualistic nature of being a fan and a supporter of fellow fans. When a tribe, of sorts, first gathers in some agreement of alliance, there is an initially positive sentiment amongst the natives. Assets may be shared, grand stories told, and the burden of struggles and challenges borne upon the shoulders of the community together, so as relieve the weight upon one. This is the image we all carry of the Utopian ideal-to join together under one unifying force. 

The reality seems to be that in the adoration of one 'idol', the natives sometimes fracture into hierarchies. Perhaps it does not systematically fragment one tribe per se, but it can cause the territories in the society to split off into quietly subversive factions. Some are given greater power, others denied it. Gatekeepers straighten their spines and stand tall at the entrance, ready to deflect weary travelers seeking shelter. Tectonic shifts in the landscape begin to rupture the joy of the original motivator.

This is the story that has been told since humans began telling them. This is the story of power and oppression, of merit and prohibition. It is the greyer shades of our nature-when we discover that we love the same love, feel the same passions, ache the same pains. We become afraid to be vulnerable to one another.

We are all equally complicit in the silent undercurrent of toil to gain some validation from powerful others or to pull a part of the power to our side. We are all victims to the cravings for merit, for recognition....for a name that resonates. We are all pleading to have the king kiss our hand when we genuflect at his feet.
In the contemporary context, the struggle to equalize or unequalize the power differential is often carried out through the diffused filters of media. The battlegrounds are electronic, now....yet another layer of challenge to our sense of personal and social safety.

In my heart of hearts I wish for a shared space, where all of the natives convene and tell their tales. I wish for the idealistic musings of the Utopia. I wish for you all to be my sisters and brothers. I wish for us all to take a drink from the fountain.

Just writing those words brings water to my eyes and hapless resignation to my heart. Do wishes become real?

I wish we could all feel the power in shared power, the potential in turning towards rather than away. I wish I myself could remember to always uphold my own hopes, to not falter in the face of challenge. I, too, am human, and fragile, and equally thirsty. I too am part of the problem, as much as I can be part of the solution. 

I suppose I have some point in my tiresome philosophical cogitating. I suppose I mean to say that I am thankful that we try, at least, to share what we are given. I am glad that we try.......and by we I mean everyone. We are all We. Perhaps, I entreat you, to let me be your collaborator and you mine. Let us create together rather than apart. Let us sing the songs with shared voices. 
I shall do my best, if you promise to do yours, too.

                                                                       ~~~~ P. 2012