The Punchline: Tell Your Story

“The very reason I write is so that I might not sleepwalk through my entire life.” Zadie Smith

In "White Teeth" Ms. Smith talks about Britain's relationship with its former colonies through a personal relationship between a Brit and a Bangladeshi.

It is a great treatise on the ability to let go, embrace a new reality and move on. It has many lessons for the current state of affairs in the U.S. Albeit not with former colonials (as we are Britain's largest former colony) but with race relations (namely between the white Christian majority and anyone NOT that).

Through my writing I have rediscovered both the most painful and the most joyful moments in my life. Had I not rediscovered these I would be walking through life "sleepwalking". Although I have used this phrase to signify discipline and consistency, I use it now in its worst possible way... without reflection my life would be a series of lather, rinse, and repeat until my death.

I think that we humans often get some things right.

One of these things is the passing down of wisdom through storytelling. We MUST share our stories, ALL of us.

I am an optimistic pragmatist. I believe that we are overwhelmingly good but that the "squeaky wheel" DOES get the grease and evil tends to be much squeakier than good.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" (attributed to Edmund Burke but apparently he did not say it).

I hold firmly to the following beliefs:

- Everyone has a story to tell.

- We all need to share our stories.

- There is far more good than evil in the world.

- We change the world through our words (and stories).

- Words and stories move people to action.

If we loosely apply the transitive law of mathematics:

Everyone telling their stories will allow good to always triumph over evil.

Tell your damn stories people.