How To Get Away With Being A Hero
For the first time in a long time, I spent MLK day reflecting and feeling more inspired to enlighten the world around me. For this special day, Indiana University invited Viola Davis to talk about her life experiences and opinions on the world that we live in. Without a doubt, it was one of the most life-changing experiences that I've had while living in Bloomington.
"WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF HEROES...
I believe this to be true. We live in a world glittered with people who are aspire to give back, and more importantly, leave this world better than the way they found it. When I think of heroes, I think of people like, Toni Morrison, Michelle Obama, Ellen DeGeneres and Beyoncé, to name a few. People who inspire. People who have had the courage to stand up for others. People who have given back to their community and changed the lives of millions. People who stand and fight for something so much bigger than themselves. People who have changed the world by changing something in people.
SOMEONE WHO IS HEROIC MUST OVERCOME WHATEVER TRIVIAL AND TRAUMATIC PAST THEY HAVE AND BECOME SOMEONE NEW"
I was listening to an episode of Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations: Lady Gaga: Heal With Kindness, where she talks about her experience with severe anxiety that she developed from being raped repeatedly earlier in her life. She talks about creating Lady Gaga as a coping mechanism to separate herself from the "victim" that she felt defined her. She spent the early part of her career shocking the world more often than not, as a way to be a voice for people who also felt victimized or couldn't necessary find a voice of their own. But then she talks about how she wanted more than that- to have an impact on the world in a way that would change the way that we think about people who are different from us and how we treat each other. In more recent years, she has spent a lot more of her time advocating for others- in less outrageous ways- and giving back by donating proceeds and her words of wisdom to those who need it most. I'd agree with Viola, in that this is one true definition of a hero to me. Lady Gaga has and still is actively trying to move past something terrible and life-altering and in conjunction being a resource and maybe even a mentor to those who have had similar experiences.
"YOU WERE BORN TO LIVE A LIFE GREATER THAN YOUR OWN"
We weren't just put on this earth to be a placeholder. We may not all have the same mindset, the same aspirations, the same actions or the same life. But we have to remember that this is what makes life so beautiful. When people can come together with these different thoughts and ideas and build something new or care for each other in an unexplainable way- that is how we can impact the world around us, no matter how big or how small that impact may be.
"THERE ARE TWO DAYS THAT MATTER IN YOUR LIFE: THE DAY YOU WERE BORN AND THE DAY YOU FIGURE OUT WHY"
The one day that matters for sure, is that day that you arrived on this planet. The day you changed at least one person's life and the many more lives that you touch, whether you're a sibling, a teacher, a friend, a colleague, a doctor, or a cashier. You have touched many, whether you have realized it or not. It's one of the biggest reasons that I got into my profession. I wanted to be someone's ally and advocate. I wanted to be able to help build someone back up after an injury, be someone's listening ear, be able to teach someone, be able to help someone achieve all of the things that they've dreamed of. I can't even think of a time when I really wanted to do anything else. I guess, up to this point in my life, I thought that this was my 'why', but I'm not sure that that's all that is in store for me just yet. I don't even know if I'll know when I get there- like a bell going off in my head when I have figured out why. Did Toni Morrison know when she picked up a pen? Did Beyoncé know when she started singing? The only real way to figure this out is to continue and keep moving forward. Bending the boundaries of your own routine and life to find your 'why'.
"YOU ARE WORTHY"
Viola's closing remark is so important. We are worthy of so much in this life- worthy of love, happiness and freedom, to start. I think once we remember that and act in light of it, once we know in our heart that we deserve so much of what this life and this world has to offer, we are destined to find all of these things.