I came across the picture while I was cleaning out the attic. It is a powerful snapshot of a moment in time when this man was one person. At the end of the week long conference, during which the picture was taken, this man became someone else. He was so moved by a passionate display of Spiritual Worship by the senior high school youth group that, without even pausing for a moment, he dashed into the ocean and displayed one of the best, most authentic, baptisms of True Spirit that I have ever witnessed.There apparently was one "oh my gawd he didn't just do that" aspect of his enthusiasm- he got naked.
This landed him the endearing name by the senior high youth group as, Naked Guy.
Let's be one hundred percent clear: he wasn't creepy, he wasn't inappropriately moving, he didn't premeditate his nakedness, he was not acting or performing to get attention, and the list goes on. This man truly was overtaken by the tremendous release and positive energy of the conference. AND....people freaked out!
Years later, I posted the pre-Naked Guy picture, encouraging people to get up, be inspired, get passionate, because it matters to do so. As good ol' Teddy Roosevelt said, "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though chequered by failure, than to take rank with
those poor souls who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they
live in the grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
Naked Guy was not, nor should he ever be a part of the ranks of those poor souls that live in the grey twilight!
I tagged a few of the youth that were at the conference on my FB post of Naked Guy. Then a friend posted a comment on my page which was the perfect segue into this blog piece - she scolded me for my posting, writing that this man was a minister and that he made a bad decision that day that was continuing on. "That is too bad."
My friend is a wonderful caring person, AND she completely missed the point, giving me the perfect example of perpetuating oppression which leads to repression.
Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that
you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover." Sadly many of us do not sail away from safe harbour for fear we might be penalized, told we made a bad decision, shamed for not fitting in, or exiled for not following group rules.
My friend announced on my FB page that this man was a minister. I am not sure why that mattered. Ministers are regular people doing jobs. A minister is no more important than a non-minister. Are we oppressing ministers because they have certain standings and expectations that are so far different than non-ministers? This man was not a minister when this event happened, so does this mean that anyone who enters the ministry must be ashamed of everything that they did when they lived their lives before they decided to join the ministry? Is that true for other jobs? I can't imagine a life in which every decision we make is based on maybe getting some job in the future and how we will look bad ten years from now if we love and live passionately today.
Secrets are a form of oppression. As long as we have secrets then we are repressed. If we are ashamed of our past then we will always allow oppression to be in power. Our fear that someone can use our secrets to destroy us, perpetuates the cycle of oppression and repression. Give it up, friends! Societies and systems try to threaten us, oppress us, by touting major repercussions if we step out of line.STEP OUT! STEP UP! STEP FORWARD! Let your secrets be seen!!! Naked Guy, write and give the best, most enthusiastic, passionate sermon about a sweet loving man who went to a religious conference and was so moved that he jumped up and got naked in the water by himself. In many countries this behavior would not only be normal, but it would have been encouraged. In the sermon, talk about how ten + years later there are still people perpetuating shame and oppressing you because of it. Step away from repression, tell your secret, and role model to others to take their power back. I support you Naked Guy! Put the Oppressors in their place...which is out of business. Be free and encourage the sails to take us all far away from the illusion of safe harbour.
We are humans and all humans make choices, have "secrets", and by golly, we are just trying to do our best in this beautiful and confusing world! http://postsecretarchive.com/
When someone does something, is there really a need to judge it? (Oppression) An then is there a need to continue judging it and keep a person locked into a shameful place; A shameful place that others designated? Naked Guy did not, nor does he need to be, shamed. Minority people do not need to be shamed, differently abled people do not need to be shamed....no one needs to be shamed. When people are oppressed, shamed, judged and persecuted, they fearfully exist, never to risk, be passionate, or enthusiastic again.(Repression)
Make today a first day to begin noticing how you oppress others and yourself. What shaming judgement do you put on others...yourself? Tell your secrets when you can, step out, step up, step forward, and talk about it all. Go through your person archives and take out the word "bad" in front of the word decision for you and for others. Notice how you have repressed who you truly are because of other people's rules, judgements, threats to your security (job, relationship, school, anywhere with anyone). STOP oppressing others by condemning them or perpetrating condemnation of things they did in the past. We only continue the cycle that leads to a fear based humanity filled with shallow conversations and disingenuous relationships. YOU have the choice to empower, love, support, accept, affirm and celebrate. Let's all be free, beginning today!!!
PERPETUATE FREEDOM INTO GRAND SELF EXPRESSION
