I have a theory.
For us as Black people to know a better world for ourselves and our children, it is necessary that we allow ourselves to dream and to have an imagination.
I remember doing a panel discussion where one of the panelists spoke about the importance of addressing the constant racism and bigotry that is going on in our world. If we are going to have movies like Black Panther, the panelist explained, it is important to address the real social issues that are happening systemically today.
I agree. But as much as the realities Black people face need to be tackled head-on, too much reality can be to our detriment. A lack of imagination can cause us to suffer too, if we are constantly grounded in the painful experiences that we have all lived.
People tend to think that in order for us to have pleasure, we need to know pain. I can’t say I disagree – in fact, I’m for duality in many ways. But I also think there is such a thing as trauma porn. It is so easy to become those painful lived experiences, to get some twisted release of dopamine from retelling them, and to see the world exclusively through that lens. It’s easy to allow our pain to become an essential part of our being. The problem is that there are some of us so immersed in our own pain and doused in PTSD that we have lost our abilities to dream or fantasize.
I dreamt my life. I literally dreamt it up. At every point in my life, I made a decision, wrote it down, and manifested it with my network of chosen family that I trust. I am not exaggerating when I say I really dreamt my life.
I think it’s important to note that anything that you want is possible for you. Anything. All you must do is dream it. Now, it’s important to know that the road will NEVER look the way you mapped it out in your head. That’s too easy. But, if you can surrender and have faith, the Divine will always lead you to exactly what you wanted. Faith is trusting that even though it may not look like how you planned it, that you are still going to arrive at the finish line.
It took me awhile to stop resisting my life. It is so easy to internalize those negative twists and turns and wear them like clothes, allowing them to become my outer being. Most of the time, it was self-sabotage or fear that would create stories in my mind about my self-worth. I was trapped in my reality and in what my trauma told me I should be, rather than allowing room for fantasy. That’s how we get stuck, you know. Stuck in the dark night of the soul, so dark that it’s difficult to make your way out. This is the place in between who you were and who you are, and they both exist because you refuse to let go of the past and march boldly into your future. So, it’s dark.
If you can treat life like a real fairy-tale, that doesn’t mean you won’t experience that darkness. But you can look at it another way: in that darkness, the Universe is testing you to see if you’re ready for the light.
And I’m telling you that you are ready. Shed those heavy clothes that are relics of the past. They are only weighing you down. Say yes! March purposefully and masterfully forward towards your dreams. You dreamt this. It’s yours. Claim it. And continue to dream, again and again and again…
With love,
TiKA
