Be a troublemaker, a risk taker, a game changer. Be courageous. Identify unevenness. Go against the flow. Transform yourself, and, in doing so, change the world.
Being a troublemaker is not for the faint of heart. Not for sleep walkers. It requires that we are awake to the moment. That we live with eyes wide open. That we willingly navigate the fog that obscures living from our core. That we courageously name the fear of what lurks in the shadows of souls — ours, others, and the collective.
Troublemaking requires letting go of any complacency, naming what has us stuck in stasis. Breathing through what stops us. Listening to our intuition. Gingerly navigating our way through illusion’s fog with the clarity of our intuition.
There are cautions to engaging in troublemaking. Sometimes we see so clearly what needs to be changed that we do not notice that others are not seeing as we do. What is clear to us is mud to them.
With personal clarity, we leap into the trouble, land exactly where we need to be only to discover that others have not, did not, leap with us. The ensuing backlash — well all I can do is shudder. We have inadvertently caused strife.
Does that mean that we stop troublemaking? Of course, not. With or without our actions, change is inevitable. Things improve or devolve. Things never stay the same. To trouble make is to identify what is not working and discern how we are called to respond to life’s uncertainties and unevenness.
We may discover upon discernment, that a gentle knock is much more effective than a battering ram when we are attempting to bring about change. But, sometimes we do need that battering ram. Troublemaking is all about figuring out what is needed in the moment and then figuring out the most appropriate way to do it.
Action through troublemaking is possible through the power of discernment. Through discernment we answer the questions: What outcome would we like to see? What are potential ramifications of our actions? How might we make trouble in ways that rouse awareness and ruffle feathers without triggering abject fear and irrational anger? While a side effect of troublemaking is the stirring of the pot of fear and anger…we don’t want to trigger a cataclysmic reaction.
I am not saying that fear is a bad thing. Fear is a part of life. Fear, when acknowledged, is a catalyst for change. Fear, when identified, sparks our courage. It invites us to step more deeply into the shadows, to figure out what is really at the foundation of what is happening. Once in the shadows, we gather the sparks of understanding and wisdom that have the potential to transform the world.
Courage asks what trouble shall I cause? Then, our inner wise one strategizes. For troublemaking without strategy, without discernment, has the potential to pitch us into a quagmire of anger and fear. Through the strategizing of discernment, we actively engage our inner troublemaker bringing about transformation in our self and change in others.
So, be a troublemaker, but be smart, name the fear, call upon your courage, understand how others are navigating the unevenness — then, discern strategies. Because, really, the world needs more troublemakers who can stir up the status quo, let go of the uncertainty, and bring balance to the world.
In the words of John Lewis, Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America. I would add only troublemaking can redeem the soul of the world.
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