The Cost of Liberation

A young man was searching for definition in his life, purpose. He found it in organizing. But that purpose left a rift in the most important part of his life prior to organizing, his marriage. Preceding becoming an organizer, this young man was fully available to his wife, day in and out to do any and everything she desired. And while every woman dreams of this man, not every man sees his destiny so limited as this. So when he found organizing, he jumped at the opportunity. This was the power he had always searched for, the purpose he was seeking, the potential he sought to make a reality. But little did he anticipate that the liberation he would get from this profession would leave his marriage on its last string. But even with knowing it all, he still believes that this work is worth it.

A woman, confident in her own right, but still misunderstood by most was on a quest to have her whole being, the good and bad, appreciated. She was seeking true understanding of herself, and that others too would have that understanding. She too found organizing to be the key. Her liberty had been captured and taken hostage over the years by a bad marriage, abuse, and neglect. She desperately sought her own emancipation in the work she did, but was never satisfied in the end. Yet, once she started organizing, she knew she had found it. Nothing else could replace the freedom and joy she had found. And though it cost her the marriage she had, the closeness to the family she loved, and her comfort of being average, this work is worth it.

Another young woman, and also young man, both were introduced to this work at the same time. They both had no idea where such a journey would take them. For one, it meant moving to the other side of the world, to a foreign land where he could perfect his craft. For another it also meant a move. A move that would leave her feeling destitute, alone, and homeless. If home is where the heart is, then they both were far from it. But they too found solace in this work. They found that all that had been sacrificed was worth it because they had discovered who they were. They had come to a realization that being close to family and friends had never given them. They gained a new understanding of spirituality, and began to know God on a new level.

This is not just freedom I am talking about (and besides, freedom isn’t free either anyways), liberation is not simply having the ability. It is a state, a way of living life. Liberation has always only been capable through self- reflection and determination. The hardest part about liberation is turning the mirror to your face and looking back at yourself. But this is also the most fulfilling part. When we are able to look at ourselves and know that we are free, emancipated, and delivered from the constraints of life, society, and most importantly, ourselves, then we are reassured that the decisions we made to get us here, were worth it. And regardless of the pain, struggle, and agony it may have taken, we are at peace with who we have become.

"Yet without community there is certainly no liberation, no future, only the most vulnerable and temporary armistice between me and my oppression" Audre Lorde