One Liner Wednesday – Messages

~ JezzieG

Inspired by and written for One-Liner Wednesday – thank you, Linda

Note: I believe we can use quotes here, let me know if I have got it wrong, please xx

My life is my message.
Mahatma Gandhi

Published by JezzieG

I am a freelance writer and poet and started writing after raising my two boys as a way of discovering just who Jez is. That is still very much an ongoing project but the journey so far has introduced me to many wonderful friends and fellow writers through an ever-growing love of poetry.

10 thoughts on “One Liner Wednesday – Messages”

  3. This is my first time seeing this quote. I love it because it fits right in with my prior beliefs. A lot of pressure is put on me, especially as a black male young artist, to be SPECIFICALLY this and that for the sole purpose of influencing the communities (mainly male, black, Haitian, adult, black artist) that I’m a part of in a positive and productive way. The struggle that I have with this expectation of me is that when someone looks at me as a part of any of these categories, they expect me to fall in line with a certain expectation. I don’t agree with that. Neither do I like that. I believe that by simply keeping myself alive and taking care of myself the best that I can everyday, I am being an exemplary member of the black community—for example. Staying alive is key here, unfortunately. I believe that by chasing my freedom regardless of what others may think (even the opinions of those who fully support me), I am being an exemplary member of the male community—especially when considering the captivity of toxic masculinity. I believe that just by creating at my own pace, even though I always turn my back to go clock-in for my day job, I am being an exemplary artist. I don’t need to be producing content heavily—especially black activism-themed content—and I don’t need a certain level of recognition to be an “artist” (even though the recognition is a part of my big bad plan). I believe that I don’t have to be monetarily, actively, educationally, spiritually or culturally supporting Haiti in order to be a “decent” Haitian, a “real” Haitian, or just a Haitian. Living my life and always correcting people, “No. I am Haitian. I just happen to have an American citizenship” is enough. I don’t have to be racking up debt, bills, have a stable job, all the while building a family to be properly “adulting”. Again, I’m legally an adult—alive and thriving. That’s more than enough. We should’ve stopped at being legally an adult for these qualifications. I don’t have to start an organization, support a fund, or put my name behind a movement to be a promoter of these ideals. My life is my message. Me being alive while being my full self should send the message that I, too, am a part of the revolution even though I am not fighting like everyone else is fighting or like everyone else is expecting their counterparts to fight. My life is my message.

    I surely hope that is what Gandhi meant with that quote lol

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Totally get what you are saying, dude. Living our authentic selves is our message. The labels of colour, race, gender, sexuality, age, and so on forever, should have no relevance – we are all human, we are all unique. The labels do not define us

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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