Keep Moving Forward

One of my favorite animated movies is Meet the Robinsons, produced by Disney. It's the story of two orphaned kids and time travel and all kinds of awesomeness. And it has the T-Rex who says "I have a big head and little arms, and I'm not sure this plan was well thought out". It never fails to make me smile and laugh. That isn't, however, the point of my referencing the film. At the very end, there is a quote by Walt Disney that reads "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. We're always exploring and experimenting."

Keep Moving Forward.

It would be an understatement to say that I have had my fair share of personal struggles here recently. It would also be unfair to imply that I'm a victim and no one helped me. In fact, I have received a tremendous amount of support from people I love, and from some awesome coworkers. Here, I'm resolving to keep moving forward. There's no point in brooding or rehashing the situations I've been in lately. They are what they are, and as far as I'm concerned they are in the past. If I have learned one thing from these experiences, it is that we cannot change people unless they are willing to hear us. We can have lots of great ideas about things, and even have knowledge that could change the world but if no one is willing to hear, then that information doesn't have a chance at surviving beyond our lips. But that won't keep me from speaking up, and speaking loudly. I want to keep moving forward, because losing faith and losing hope is not an option.

Keep Moving Forward.

I don't want to sound defeated. In fact, I would say that the things I've been through in the last month have served to motivate me. I'm going to keep talking about the issues that matter to me and to those whom I love. I want to keep promoting awareness about injustice and inequality. The movement I want to be a part of is about love. Love conquers hate. Love endures forever. Love can change the world.

Isn't that a message everyone needs to hear? Who isn't impacted by love? Who doesn't deserve to love and be loved? Aren't so many of our teenagers today directly affected by a lack of love and affection? I know I tend to contradict myself the longer I write, but I'm trying to strike a balance that shows how love can impact the world without sounding trite or sappy. I have been rescued from a very dark place more than once because of the love I was shown and the support I was given. I was loved (and am loved) without judgment. That's the kind of love every person deserves, and I'm not talking about tossing those words around as a disclaimer for when you're about to let someone have it. "I love you, but...." doesn't cut it. That's a cop out. I'm not saying we can't agree to disagree, but don't denigrate the power of love by tossing that word around. I certainly don't and am insulted when people do.

Keep Moving Forward.

We can agree to disagree; that's the beauty of being people capable of intelligent thought. What we have to do, however, is have a little understanding. Compromise is key to making the world a more decent place for all people. When that happens, it is then that we have truly moved forward.