My
pencil hung over my notebook, unmoving. Together, my pencil and I struggled. We
stubbornly sat, facing each other, refusing to move first. It was such a simple
thing as a poetry prompt which lead to such a sullen show down.
I
never thought it would take me so long to write a list of ten things I believe
and ten things I don’t believe.
It
should be easy.
What
do I believe?
What don’t I believe?
This is the sort of stuff that stirs the hearts of life coaches, thinkers and philosophers world wide. I stepped back from the question at least seven times.
Now that I think about it, at some point over the past couple of years I bored of the conversations around “I believe” versus “I know” and the like - ad infinitum the conversation goes. Words without experiences are meaningless to me. Don’t tell me what you know or what you believe unless you can back it up with experience I can see or touch or smell.
The boredom sang a tune of “Who cares, anyway?” until, finally, my pencil hit paydirt and I just started writing what I knew, writing what I believed, writing beyond the trite.
It was like the first “I believe” stuck in to the flow because it sounds rehearsed. It isn’t. It is what I believe. And because of that belief, I am diving into a deeper study so that I can decide where I want to go with that belief because I don’t know if where I am currently accepting that belief fits for me or my family anymore, knowing our beliefs alongside this first, number one belief.
With that, ten free flow beliefs which are to be born into at least one poem. That, I can do. That, I am doing.
1. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and Earth.
2. I believe in the intrinsic good of humanity.
3. I believe most people could benefit from raising consciousness.
4. I believe most people long for soul connection, touching connection and being known, seen and heard.
5. I believe the senses awaken creativity and the denial of such expression is one of the causes of depression.
6. I believe in expressing emotions authentically without covering up or pretending or “acting as if”….
7. I believe in the power of the pencil.
8. I believe if people universally lived with purpose and passion, social issues would be greatly diminished.
9. I believe clear communication without opinion laced judgment and “taking it personally” energy we could minimize wars and unrest.
10. I believe women are sexier and more beautiful as they age.
The first lines of the poem, now in the works:
We’re born naked and belonging in identical uniforms
Some with this and some with that otherwise
Remarkably universal and forever stamped
With a longing to return to some form
Of naked belonging….
= = =
I am also drumming up the experiential components to mix in with my beliefs and sit quietly, without the show down energy, to come to know what my beliefs are meaning to show me, to sing to me, to breathe into my being.
Until then, living the question and the poetry will be just right for me.
I believe.
I don’t believe.
What do you believe?
What don’t you believe?
© 2010 Julie Jordan Scott
Recent Comments