Blog: Honoring And Respecting, Value For Value

Featured image: On The Road Again II

As an artist, one of the most important things for me is my freedom. My freedom to choose, my freedom to move about, and my freedom to think. All of me, my self, my spirit, my soul, my whole changes when another tries to cross my threshold and cast shadows on my path. Sometimes I don’t even realize it is happening to me, until I feel it. Then, ask myself questions and I think about what is going on. I feel a tightening, a pressure and my personal space closes in on itself, protecting itself.

Someone, something tells me not to think that way. They don’t say, "Have you thought of this or that possibility?" Rather they say, "Don’t do this, don’t do that." They add on to that direction by stating, "It’s too risky," or something to that effect.

I need to experience, to see and to feel my own losses, my own gains, my own kudos or not due to my risk taking. I need to experience my own gains, my own fortunes or not, and to make my own bets, and live with my choices. If I do not, then I am submitting my choices, my self, my spirit, my soul to another. Then, they, with all my energy and surrendered spirit, will move forward and I am left behind to wonder what happened and to have nothing, absolutely nothing to trade, value for value.

To be free, for my self, my spirit and for my soul to be free, they must be sovereign to me. I need to protect them from being sold, stolen, borrowed, stamped upon, or door shut upon. I need to honor them, and make sure that they are always free.
If I honor myself, then and only then am I able to honor and respect another’s battle, fight to maintain and honor their souls and spirits. Value for value, this is fair. This is just. Otherwise, I not only devalue myself and what I create but I also devalue others and how they honor their spirits and selves.

As always, I return to the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It is the only way to maintain and respect all individual freedoms.