I could write about politics, but I’m choosing to write about the things that make us human
Do you ever feel helpless in addressing the major challenges we face in the world today? Do you wonder if you should be doing something else, something more, or just something?
I’ve been trying to figure out how to add value to the world, to somehow contribute to or DO something in these times of uncertainty and apparent division. I could write about politics. I spent nearly 20 years working with both sides of the aisle. I could expound on the lessons learned and strategies I used to foster civil discourse at a bipartisan national organization, where we convened members of both parties to discuss pressing policy issues. I know a thing or two about facilitating conversations among people who disagree.
Some have asked me why I don’t write about that, given my professional background. I’ve drafted many an article on the topic of dialogue and civil debate, but I cannot hit publish. As much as I feel there is a need to bring people together, I sense that anything I could say would just add fuel to the already raging fire. Which is the opposite of my intent.
Sometimes I wish I were more of a rabble rouser, but I’ve always been the quiet, sensitive type. And right now, I am more of a writer than a policy wonk. I am more reflective than directive.
I’ve debated how to speak up for what I believe and stand up for those who are suffering. Public policy was my way of advocating for and contributing to improving the systems that serve those most vulnerable. It was a very tangible way to contribute. But I realized I could not be my true self at work, and I eventually left policy to find a better fit for my innate gifts.
It was hard to leave. I was good at my job, and I still care about people and their struggles, but I needed to find a way to be me and use the talents I was given.
My ego tempts me to go back to politics and the national stage, but my wiser self nudges me to keep writing. To which my ego always responds, “How can writing compare to policy work? How can writing make a difference?” The internal debate has been fierce at times.
But indeed, words changed my thinking about my role in these uncertain times.
I have a notebook of quotes, and I scrolled the pages looking for the one I remembered about doing what makes you come alive. It is a great piece of wisdom from Howard Thurman, author, theologian, and civil rights leader:
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
— Howard Thurman
Do what makes you come alive. That message always inspires me to just be who I am. But it also hits a familiar nerve. The one who prefers achievement over alignment. I want to do what I love, but I question its validity because it doesn’t match society’s definition of “productive and successful.”
What makes me come alive is being outdoors. That is my place of inspiration and contemplation. It is where I go when I want to feel whole and fully human.
Writing and learning are the other things that take me out of myself and into that blissful flow state. I have journals and poems going back to my pre-teen years. It’s what I do to make sense out of life and unearth the wisdom that lurks in the mundane and the tragic.
But how do my wilderness wanderings and reflections on life make a difference? Sure, they make me feel alive, but they feel like purely selfish pursuits. How can doing what comes naturally to me, and is far removed from the policymaking tables I used to sit at, somehow serve a greater purpose? Where’s the impact?
And then a friend mentioned this quote.
“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will be in our troubled world.”
— Etty Hillesum
Yes! We need more peace. And maybe the question about being alive and being at peace is connected?
When I think of people who are fully alive, they are also full of joy and love. You know who I am talking about. Those whose passions just ooze from their pores, and you love being around them. Their energy is contagious. They are not worried about what others think, and their actions come from a deep sense of grounding. Their peace flows through their being and how they interact with the world.
I have been on a journey to reclaim my peace, and much of it comes from doing more of what makes me come alive. Which also means doing less of what drains me. I know how much those choices have changed my life — and my relationships. I feel more aligned with my true self. I don’t think I’m quite that effervescent, but writing and being in nature are my happy places. They bring me joy. And when I am joyful, when I am at peace, I am more generous. I am kinder. I am possibly even funnier!
Perhaps lighting my own fire is adding light to the world?
But is it enough?
I’ve wrestled with the value of writing versus more outward, obvious contributions to address the suffering people are experiencing, and I come back to the image of being fully alive and at peace and the power of that grounded presence.
I want to be more like that. I know what it was like to be driven by others’ and my own egoistic expectations, and the relentless pursuit of the next big thing. I tried to remain centered, but no amount of rest or unplugging could keep me in balance. And I have been graced with another chance at life and an opportunity to live as the person I was meant to be. I would rather be in alignment with who I am than keep living according to someone else’s rules.
I’ve come to the conclusion that if writing brings me peace, then sharing my reflections is my way of spreading that peace to others. If words can shift me out of panic and remind me of the beauty that still exists in our brokenness, maybe my sharing of those moments can help someone else find their ground.
I’m going to continue writing on Medium, but I’m starting an old-fashioned email newsletter. I’m calling it The Ramble of the Day. It won’t be daily, but whatever cadence feels natural, and will include great quotes, insights from the latest books I’m reading, tools I use with my coaching clients, and short stories, or photos of whatever natural wonder is bringing me back to myself and a place of calm. If you’re trying to stay grounded in a noisy world, perhaps some of it will help you, too.
Do what makes you come alive. Reclaim your peace. Be fully YOU.
You can see a sample and subscribe here: Ramble of the Day: How you show up matters more than what you do