WALK TO YOUR OWN BEAT
JAN SIKES
2020 has
been a year.
And that is
a gross understatement. No one could have predicted the diverse levels of
craziness we’d experience as the year unfolded.
Not only
are we dealing with a worldwide pandemic that has us wearing masks and hiding
in our homes, but here in the United States, we’ve witnessed hatred and
divisiveness to a degree I could never have imagined. While we watched and
perhaps joined people taking to the streets to protest injustices, we also saw
organized groups invade our beautiful cities and set them ablaze. Everyone is
in a hypersensitive mode. History is being erased with the dismantling and destruction
of national monuments, while sports teams are changing their names because
someone is offended.
The
culmination of it all has left us reeling.
I do not
watch the news, and that is a personal choice. I can name lots of reasons why I
stopped, but the main one is, I do not believe even half of what they report. The
media uses its power to incite and ignite more hatred and division amongst us.
Folks take
to social media to try and coerce others to bend to their ideals and beliefs.
And they do it in the most aggressive ways imaginable. It seems no one wants to
allow their fellow man to have his or her own opinions. People are not willing
to tolerate differences. Families are split by these differences, leaving
children confused. We are allowing those in power to turn us into a society
focused on isolation and fear.
So, what
can we do?
I heard a
song the other day that says it better than I ever could. The music artist is
Brent Cobb, and he gave me permission to quote some of his lyrics.
He sings
about how people want to tell each other how to live and how to die. You don’t
get too low, don’t get too high, which is precisely what the pharmaceutical companies
exhort.
The best
thing you can do is don’t listen too close. Walk on to your own beat. Keep ‘em
on their toes.
What does
that even mean? To me, it means staying true to your authentic self. Don’t be a
part of the herd that follows blindly. Make decisions for your life based on
your truth, not someone else’s. Go where your heart tells you to go. I genuinely
believe your heart will never lead you wrong.
Then, rather
than to try and convince others to follow your truth, tuck it deep inside where
you can nurture it and make it grow. You will never persuade another person to
change their way of thinking because of the words you speak, but you can lead
by example. And you can keep them on their toes. Keep them guessing about you.
In other words, don’t be so utterly transparent.
Maybe this
says it better. Keep ‘em on their toes, your business outta sight. Make ‘em
look left, if you’re gonna hang a right. If the pot’s hot, don’t let ‘em see
your hand. Make ‘em gotta know what they wouldn’t understand. The best thing
you can do when the ignorance shows, is walk on to your own beat, keep ‘em on
their toes.
I love
that! We live in an electronic age where privacy is a thing of the past. The
only way to have real privacy is to be completely disconnected, including no
cellphone.
I have had
many experiences that prove to me we are always under observation. It’s easy to
understand how an ad will randomly pop up after browsing for an Amazon item.
But I have had things pop up about something relating to a simple conversation
with a friend. Big Brother is listening. No, I’m not paranoid. Just honest and
see reality.
I do not
know where we are headed as a society. The rose-colored glasses part of me wants
to believe this hatred, division, hypersensitivity, and deadly pandemic we are
experiencing will all come to an end, and we will go back to living our lives
peacefully. But reality tells me we will never go back to the way we were
before all of this chaos hit.
We are
forever changed by it all.
So, the big
question remains, “Where do we go from here?”
I can only
answer that question from my point of view, from my truth. I will continue to be
kind. I will continue to share and celebrate others’ accomplishments. And I
will continue to love my family and do my best to impart any hard-earned wisdom
to my grandchildren.
I can’t
visualize what this world will be like ten years from now. I can’t even picture
it a year from now. So, I must live for today in the best and most honest way I
know.
I will walk
on to my own beat ― do my best to keep ‘em on their toes, and my business out of
sight. That does not mean I can stop caring or go numb. In fact, just the
opposite. I will celebrate every positive moment life brings, and I hope you
will join me. Together we are stronger. Together we can make a difference.
Together,
we can keep ‘em on their toes!
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Thank you for sharing my contribution to 2020 Watch "RWISA" Write showcase, Yvette! I appreciate your support!
ReplyDeleteIt's my pleasure. :-)
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