Moments That Matter
There are moments in everyone’s life that help to define us. As individuals, as members of a group or a community, as citizens of a nation or of the world.
Some of these moments we can see coming. Some we recognize while we are in them. And some we don’t understand what they are until they have passed.
Some of these moments are highly anticipated milestones - graduations, weddings, new jobs, new homes. Some of these moments take us by surprise - accidents, happenstance encounters.
Some moments are individual, unique to the person experiencing it. Some moments are shared, bonding people, families, communities, the entire globe.
Some moments are ones that take our breath away, shaking us to our core and making us question our foundations. Some breathe new life into us, reminding us who we are and why we are here.
One thing that each of these different types of occurrences has in common, though, is the visceral imprint they make on us.
Depending on your age, you absolutely remember where you were when JFK was assassinated. When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon. When the Berlin wall was torn down. When MTV aired its first music video. When the Challenger exploded. September 11th.
Regardless of your age, I’m pretty sure you remember where you were when you had your first kiss. When you bought your first car. When you first heard that one song or saw that specific movie.
Now, we don’t always have a choice as to where we are when the world changes for us or around us.
But sometimes we do.
And now is one of those moments.
The world is changing, and with our 24 hour news cycle, social media, and the plethora of instant communication options available to us, we can see it every single day. Storms, pandemics, political shifts, and social changes.
This is a moment that we can watch unfold. And this is a moment where you have a choice.
This is a moment that you will remember. A moment that you will recount in years and generations to come. This is a turning point.
When you look back on all of the moments in your life, you remember where you were. What you felt. You remember who you were before the event and who you became after. You remember what you thought, you remember how it affected you and what it taught you.
In this moment, you get to choose, at least partially, how you will look back on, well, this moment.
Did you stand up for what you believe in? Did you use your voice and privilege to speak up for those without? Did you show up when and where you could? Did you take action when silence was the easier choice?
In some moments, we do not get to choose. And that is okay.
But when these moments come and we do have a choice to make, remember that not making a choice *is* making a choice. And your choice, or lack thereof, is what you will remember.
Make this moment matter.
Because we all matter.