Written by Celine Louie
There was a time when we would look naively out at the seas of our future and believe that they would always stay relatively calm. The ride of our lives was enjoyed with relative comfort and not much thought to our inherited freedom was ever really considered.
We were all a little shaken recently when things changed, but with promises of our returned freedoms- should we just do what was asked? Many chose to follow the tide in the hopes of riding smoother waters in the not too distant future.
For others there came a call to ride in the opposite direction; sensing that our ability to choose how we ride this life was at stake should we follow the tide. For those that chose to ride against the tide, there came a very bumpy ride indeed.
We’ve been riding these turbulent seas for a few years now, and our ability to choose how we ride has been at stake many a time recently.
Fortunately, there is simplicity in riding against the tide. You don’t need to be a pro surfer. Rather connection to one self and an ability to step back from the whitewash and take a look from another perspective can summon a powerful strength within us. Many do not even know they had that feeling deep within that tells you, ‘yes, riding against the tide is a must for not only you, but the generations that will follow.’
The power of words and actions has repercussions that go far beyond just our lips and those that hear us say the word.
Saying the word NO creates a power that ripples in the waves around us. Those that hear you say it feel the call to say it too, therein forms a power in the surf that rises up, creating a tidal wave of strength, crashing out past all that stands in the way.
We all have the strength within us to say the word. But if we choose to simply follow the tide, we can easily be carried away to parts of the ocean that are dark and turbulent. Places we will not want to end up, with the idyllic calm seas we used to reside in, only a distant memory, and the ability to return taken from us.
So it is up to all of us to look at what stands in the way of our freedoms, and to choose not to allow it. By now many have realised that following the tide may not have been such a good idea, for a freedom that comes with conditions is in fact, not freedom at all.
Lately many surfers have risen; stirred by the injustices they see around them. Surfers of all ages and backgrounds, all with different strengths and weaknesses, but all of them with the knowledge in them to know that their voice and choices have enough power to change the course of the tide.
The most beautiful part of this tidal wave of NO’s has been the coming together of surfers, connecting and supporting one another, realising the momentous power of that one tiny word. For some the ride has been harder than for others, and so it is in the human spirit that we shall support and carry one another forward, knowing that by banding strong we can carry all of those who feel the same call to say the word.
So listen to the strength within you, my friends, if you hear that word, no matter how faint or far away it may sound, listen to it. It may only echo quietly within you, but it holds more power than anything else you have.
Freedom is fleeting but your words and actions have the power to save it.