We Will Burn

About twenty-six minutes into Kanye West’s short video-movie for Runaway, Kanye and the mythical phoenix are discussing her imminent departure.   He doesn’t want her to leave, but she must.  That’s her nature – she lives, she burns, then she rises. Rebirth – or renewal – is what she represents.

Give it some time. If we live long enough, the way that we live or think, spend or love will no longer benefit, nor satisfy, our being.  For some, this frustration will culminate into disastrous behavior. For others, it will feel like a volcanic desire for change boiling in your gut.  Either way, in order to rise, useless codes and conducts that have defined us up to that point will need to be eradicated.

It will be a difficult but necessary process. You will burn.

There will be major upheaval.  Things that were once absolute may become uncertain. Old wrongs will become new rights.  We will leave some people, or some may desert us. Not because love no longer exists – but because different paths must be taken at the crossroads. It is at this divulgence that we must allow others to burn, revive, and rebirth; and we must demand the same allowance from them.

What the Phoenix hates most about humans, she tells Kanye, is that we always feel the need to change or tear down anything that is different. “You rip the wing off the phoenix, and it turns to stone,” she says.  Sadly, we do. And although we can attempt to rationalize why, no reason can ever justify destroying spirits, deterring progress, or causing mental, emotional or spiritual anguish just to force others to fit.

When a cycle ends and it’s time to burn, let it happen.  Do not hold yourself hostage to a past that restricts your ability to rise, or one which forces you to live being defined by others. Refrain from judging and condemning while standing firm for what is right for you. Learn thyself, allow others the same courtesy, then soar boldly from the ashes. You will rise.

Until next time, I wish you peace, happiness and liberation.

                                                               Very truly yours,

                                                                        Mo —