project love.

June 22, 2011 in Uncategorized

I am participating in #Trust30, an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself.

Prompt #10: To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?

(Prompt by Eric Handler)

_____

(Really? I'm not sure I agree with Mr Emerson on this one. What is true in my private heart may not be true for you. Sure, at the base of it, underneath all else, perhaps there is a common grounding. I'm hoping that is called love. But "genius," Mr Emerson? To believe that what is true for me is true for all others isn't called genius in my world; it's called privilege.)

My personal message to 1 million people would be simply this:

You are not broken and you don't need to be fixed.

This isn't a dress rehearsal, honey. Bring it.

Be kinder than necessary. Always possible. Always. It's a choice, not a reaction.

Use the good china. Life itself is the special occasion.

Be more generous than you believe you can be. Sacrifice.

Let people love who they love. Stop interfering in other people's lives. You've got enough to do to keep on top of your own laundry pile.

Stop judging other people. It's just not attractive.

Floss. Seriously.

Love more.

(Art by the students of Edward C. Reed High School in Sparks, Nevada, who created Project Love to spread love through the school)

About Patti Digh

Patti Digh is an author, speaker, and educator who builds learning communities and gets to the heart of difficult topics. Her work over the last three decades has focused on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and living and working mindfully. She has developed diversity strategies and educational programming for major nonprofit and corporate organizations and has been a featured speaker at many national and international conferences.

7 comments to " project love. "


KimMailhot

June 22, 2011 AT 8:36AM

Thanks, as always, my Friend, for the inspiration to fill up this glorious day with exactly what matters most.
I love you.

Gwyn Michael

June 22, 2011 AT 3:52PM

Yeah I am having trouble with this one too Patti. I wonder what Mr. Emerson’s definition of genius is?

I think perhaps what he is trying to say is that we are all good at heart, and believing in that regardless of contrary behavior?

Genius? I don’t know how that connects, but I like what you have to say.

Gwyn Michael

June 22, 2011 AT 3:52PM

Yeah I am having trouble with this one too Patti. I wonder what Mr. Emerson’s definition of genius is?

I think perhaps what he is trying to say is that we are all good at heart, and believing in that regardless of contrary behavior?

Genius? I don’t know how that connects, but I like what you have to say.

NANCY

June 23, 2011 AT 11:35AM

Wow. This is it, there is nothing else.

Brandie

July 5, 2011 AT 8:30PM

That Emerson quote vexes me. But I love your message about not needing to be fixed. As a yoga teacher I find myself saying that often – “Your practice is exactly the practice you need today, it doesn’t need to be fixed.” And by “practice” I mean life. Reading your words reminded me that we need to drop the judging and the stories and walk back into living. Thanks for giving us your words and your heart, Patti. Love!

Natasha

July 6, 2011 AT 10:48AM

Stop judging people. It’s just not attractive. – that should be a mantra. It should be required reading. It should be a bumper sticker. It should be written on bathroom walls. It’s just brilliant. What an exceptionally different world it would be if we did stop judging.

I don’t believe in the idea of “genius” or at least its definition. I think there is another word that hasn’t been created or defined yet..

Marion

July 9, 2011 AT 11:13AM

We are all broken, all of us.

“Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” ~Leonard Cohen