The Peeling Away of Personality

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Standing between the firing line and the target is not a very good place to be.? It can be deadly when weapons are used and very uncomfortable when those weapons are words.? It's like being in between a rock and a hard place. Please let me explain.

I was standing in the line-up at a coffee shop recently, chatting with my client, paying for coffee, when the young man behind the counter informed us that he had to get some change for the five dollar bill that I had passed him.? So, he stood there and took his time getting the order ready while he waited for the change to be brought to him.

Enter the behemoth. Towering like a titan, knuckles grazing the floor, this mass of a man lumbered into the growing queue. His unruly mane of peppered curls adorned the greasy fabric of his shirt, while his predatory gaze sought out a target upon which to unleash his fury.

“What’s taking so long?” he grumbled. “Hey, you… can you go any slower?” he aimed and released his first salvo of words at the young attendant behind the counter.

The young man tried to dodge the words by ignoring him, but sasquatch let loose with another barrage.

“I said, what’s taking so long?? Are you deaf?” He boomed.

Now I was starting to feel that heat too, as I was directly in the way, a kind of no mans land, between the lion and the lamb. Other people in the line-up stood back and said nothing, not wanting to be bullied by this character.

“I said get moving! I don’t have all day for the likes of you, now get a move on.” He boomed again.

Right about now, I had had enough.? This guy was obviously used to bullying people around, and now he was toying with another hapless victim who wasn’t able to fight back.?

I have seen the same thing happen way too many times in way too many places and said nothing, but this time felt different.? I knew that no one else was going to do or say anything: I could tell by the way that they were backing away and joining other line-ups.

Without really thinking what I was going to say, I looked up into his face and said “Hey fella, give the kid a break, he’s waiting for someone else to help him.? Now leave him alone.”

Have you ever said something to someone that you knew was going to really going to piss them off, and then stood there, defiantly waiting for the blows to land?? Your body is tingly; time travels slowly, seconds ticking loudly in your mind keeping time with the pulse pounding loudly in your ears, amplifying the feeling of anticipation, and then… nothing.

I almost felt cheated that he didn’t say anything.?

Like a peeling away of personality, he just stood there, his face a blanket of loose skin draped over a stone, expressionless and silent, as if he suddenly lost all ability to speak or move; he had run out of ammunition.

I waited for him to catch his breath, but nothing came.? He remained silent and inexpressive.? Thank God for little blessings.

By this time, reinforcements had come to the aid of the clerk, had given him the change he needed to complete my order, and I was ready to go.? As I took the order from the clerk, I heard him whisper a small thank you, and he was already busy with the next client.

Have you ever had to stand face to face with a lion with nothing but a small stick? Not knowing if you had enough courage to stand and fight, you simply felt that you had to stand your ground, no matter what the consequences may have been. With a numb mind, no thought of heroism, Rocky Balboa like, you just stood there and traded blows with your quarry, only the conviction that you were doing the right thing keeping you going.? Words bouncing off of you like hail, you stand, and fight, and flounder and fall, but just when it looks like the fight is over, as you lay bleeding all over the mat, you rise to your feet and fight to the finish.? “Adriene!”

What does it take to get us to that point where we are willing to sacrifice life and limb to stand up for what we feel is right?? How long has it been since you were really bothered about something important, about something real that made you bold enough to take an action, to speak a word, to start a movement?

How long has it been since you dreamed of accomplishing a goal, reaching a vision, doing something outrageously important with your life, yet you remain where you are, feet firmly planted in imaginary cement?

Why are you still there?

Why, I’ll tell you why: Simply because you fear what people will think more than you want the results.

I’m serious.? Secretly, you know it too.

Are you willing to go the distance and stand in the ring for something important? Are you really?? Are you looking for a cause, but can’t find one?? No? ?Then maybe you aren’t looking hard enough, that is unless you just want to go through life straddling the fence, when there is so much to stand up for: peace, the little guy, the homeless, the hungry, the victims of war, the environment, your neighbour, your family, your church, your country or even yourself.

In the words of Teddy Roosevelt “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though chequered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

We have become so passive, so willing to stand in the middle of the boat. It seems as if the world rewards it.? If you don’t stand up and shout, then you won’t get hurt… you don’t want to get hurt, do you… Of course not... you are getting sleepy, verrry sleepy… go home and say nothing.

?Please wake up!

Let’s do something… anything, but let’s get into action and do something that will make a difference.? Please don’t wait for the other guy to do something, this is your chance, this is your time.

This week, dare to do something that will challenge you.? Dare to stand up and be counted.? Dare to achieve what you once thought impossible.? Dare to love, dare to speak, dare to run, dare to write, dare to…

Make this your most daring week ever.

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