Anna Talyn
09-30-2012, 03:38 PM
Fulcrum of Possibilities
The great bait and switch of society
When did you can do and be anything turn to that’s not how you’re supposed to be?
When I was growing up society and media was selling an awful lot of kool-aid. We were bombarded with messages of hope and possibilities. It was a great effort on the surface.
You can do anything you set your mind to
You can be an astronaut, or the president
Be an individual
A home is your greatest investment
Live the american dream
You can be anything you want
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Lever_drawing.gif
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At some point along the way you reach the fulcrum, the tipping point of the illusion. Everything we heard had a big asterisk next to it. You can but…
A man in his 30′s is not supposed to like cars stereotyped for “boy racers’
A man in his 30′s isn’t supposed to get piercings
A man is not supposed to wear a dress
Nursing is a girls job
Girls shouldn’t like cars or mechanics
The woman is supposed to cook and clean
Men are not supposed to wear nail polish
If you drive an SUV you are killing the planet
Middle age people are not supposed to listen to metal or punk
When you tried to live any of the mantras you heard you quickly find out there is a box but it had clear walls. You can see the possibilities but if you reach for them you hit a barrier. Sometimes it is bullying, sometimes religion, stereotypes, family pressures, gender roles.
Luckily we Americans continue to evolve. In such recent history even in our grandparents lives there was genocide, segregation, women’s rights, and many advancements for human rights. The supposed to be traps have not served me so well but at least it was a starting point. I was a dreamer enough to believe these tales regardless of the reality around me. From within my defined boundaries I tried and worked hard at being a little different and challenging what I was told. It was always in much smaller ways then I thought but was big at the time. In many ways society never left high school.
If the answer to why not is just because, I’m sorry, that just isn’t good enough anymore.
So yes, I am a sucker. I took the bait. Now for my switch. If I dream it, I can achieve it. It is what you taught me after all.
http://annatalyn.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/fulcrum-of-possibilities/
The great bait and switch of society
When did you can do and be anything turn to that’s not how you’re supposed to be?
When I was growing up society and media was selling an awful lot of kool-aid. We were bombarded with messages of hope and possibilities. It was a great effort on the surface.
You can do anything you set your mind to
You can be an astronaut, or the president
Be an individual
A home is your greatest investment
Live the american dream
You can be anything you want
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Lever_drawing.gif
-
At some point along the way you reach the fulcrum, the tipping point of the illusion. Everything we heard had a big asterisk next to it. You can but…
A man in his 30′s is not supposed to like cars stereotyped for “boy racers’
A man in his 30′s isn’t supposed to get piercings
A man is not supposed to wear a dress
Nursing is a girls job
Girls shouldn’t like cars or mechanics
The woman is supposed to cook and clean
Men are not supposed to wear nail polish
If you drive an SUV you are killing the planet
Middle age people are not supposed to listen to metal or punk
When you tried to live any of the mantras you heard you quickly find out there is a box but it had clear walls. You can see the possibilities but if you reach for them you hit a barrier. Sometimes it is bullying, sometimes religion, stereotypes, family pressures, gender roles.
Luckily we Americans continue to evolve. In such recent history even in our grandparents lives there was genocide, segregation, women’s rights, and many advancements for human rights. The supposed to be traps have not served me so well but at least it was a starting point. I was a dreamer enough to believe these tales regardless of the reality around me. From within my defined boundaries I tried and worked hard at being a little different and challenging what I was told. It was always in much smaller ways then I thought but was big at the time. In many ways society never left high school.
If the answer to why not is just because, I’m sorry, that just isn’t good enough anymore.
So yes, I am a sucker. I took the bait. Now for my switch. If I dream it, I can achieve it. It is what you taught me after all.
http://annatalyn.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/fulcrum-of-possibilities/