Anonymous

In the world that we live in today it is essential for us as a people to affect those around in order to create a change.

We cannot simply rely on the leaders as a whole to affect change, we have to want it.

World leaders have recently decided not to take a step forward in evolution but rather a much greater step backwards. In many parts of the world evolution has been at a stand-still for too long.

From racism, homophobia, anti-feminism, poverty to childmarriage the world as it seems is a very broken place and these leaders of ours are unfortunately either promoting this or doing nothing.

This causes people to assault, persecute and even vote for parties that stand for everything but equality and most importantly mutual respect.

How many times do we have to openly speak about the fact that they are real people we are talking about? People with memories, lives, emotions and real, mind-numbing fear as a constant in their lives.

We are being taught that all that really matters is that as long as I am fine nothing else counts. I know, from experience, that it is easy to judge from afar but few would easily stare someone in the eye and say that "you deserve to be tortured, hunted down like an animal or even die because as long as I am unaffected your life is not important".

This is at least my view all in all and can you honestly say that voting for a party that is beyond question built entirely on hate is not exactly like saying that?

Every life counts and all I can really say is that in a worst case scenario you could be next and you would probably not want anyone to consider you a casualty of their own prosperity, would you?

I am not saying you or I should sacrifice ourselves, the point is that no one should and even if there is a crisis it doesn't change the fact that people shouldn't be viewed as objects. Objects that are somewhere in the distance that doesn't matter if they lived or died or even worse: hating them blindly because someone else says so... It should matter to you. They are someone's parents, children, siblings, friends.
They, we, all of us, are people just like you.

Keep in mind that one day they could turn into me.

http://open.spotify.com/album/1MvQsW93KpDbi3LI4ltjZB

//Em

Imagine

There is a reason behind the word imagine being said a number of times in my video. Here's why:

Imagination is the sole and essential reason for people to be able to take action on behalf of someone else.

Whether it is someone close to you that you console at a hard time in their lives or someone you have never met. You imagine their what they are going through.

There is a certain sense that you get sometimes. Small, clarifying moments when everything seems right in the world and you take a step back to admire and enjoy the peacefulness of a room, a place or a scene.

I am now in the midst of the calm comfort of PhotoMarket at Fotografiska. I talk about this place a lot; partially becuase I do preform here from time to time bit also becuase this place generates a sense of togetherness, of acceptance.

Earlier I was talking to the very talanted Joyce Tenneson who had listen to our preformance both yesterday and today. We talked about this place and its atmosphere. How enlightened and happy it makes you feel but it also flows with creativity and urges people to feel creativity, it doesn't discriminate or judge, you are not more or less. Here you just are who you are and that is fine.

We talked about talent and how the drive and passion usually lies in the will to affect change; in one person or millions. How you want to make people feel what you feel, how you want to make a difference in some way, large or small.

There's a beauty to this moment I am in. It affects me by just being. After having preformed and indulged in meaningful conversations, the meeting of great minds with even greater hearts. This is a moment to remember, to re-visit, to love.

Moments

There is a certain sense that you get sometimes. Small, clarifying moments when everything seems right in the world and you take a step back to admire and enjoy the peacefulness of a room, a place or a scene.

I am now in the midst of the calm comfort of PhotoMarket at Fotografiska. I talk about this place a lot; partially becuase I do preform here from time to time but also becuase this place generates a sense of togetherness, of acceptance.

Earlier I was talking to the very talanted Joyce Tenneson who had listen to our preformance both yesterday and today. We talked about this place and its atmosphere. How enlightened and happy it makes you feel but it also flows with creativity and urges people to feel creativity. It doesn't discriminate or judge, you are not more or less. Here you just are who you are and that is fine.

We talked about talent and how the drive and passion usually lies in the will to affect change; in one person or millions. How you want to make people feel what you feel, how you want to make a difference in some way, large or small.

There's a beauty to this moment I am in. It affects me by just being. After having preformed and indulged in meaningful conversations, the meeting of great minds with even greater hearts. This is a moment to remember, to re-visit, to love.

It is a simple but rare moment and it makes me remember what I want out of life and myself. What I aspire to and for and why I do need and want to do what I love.

//Em

Thanks

I know I should be grateful.

I should be grateful for being allowed to live the life I do, I should be grateful that I am allowed to be who I am but I can't.

I am grateful, however, to the people who have sacrificed their lives, time and even dignity for me to be who I am. I am forever grateful to the people who never even knew that I would exist and who have given me this incredible gift of being able to be who I am.

I am saddened by the fact that many did not get to experience this feeling that they fought, and some even died, for. That they fought and died for the right to be who they are.

I am not grateful that I get to be allowed to be who I am when so many didn't and still aren't. I will not show graditude to the people that tolerate me because they have to.

The only thing I will and can do is live my life proud and every day acknowledge that even though it should be it is not a given that I can.

I am not grateful to be able to mourn the people that I may and will never have the privilge to know. Who fought for my right to love but I am proud to be one of the people who can stand here today and live because of them.

I am not grateful that I get to wake up every day and wonder if I am next, if today will be the day that someone decides that who I am is not okay, that I am worth less than anyone else. I am not grateful for that.

But I will, every day, be happy, proud of and appreciate who I am for the millions of people who can't and know in my heart that I am equal, that I will act, think and vote for equal.

//Em

Kindness

Don't miss out on kindness. Allowing yourself to feel it and receive it.

Don't mistake greediness for kindness because it will ruin you.

Know who the people are that keep you going because they believe in you and end relations with the rest because in the end they won't matter anyway.

With power comes the chance for greatness but it is not a given result. It is a fight and determination and an incredible sense of resistance.

Unfortunately for "we the people" true greatness is rarely shown in our world leaders because the people aiming for power with heart do not always make it all the way with their hearts intact.

It is a given that the road to success is beyond hard and keeping a clear head is next to impossible but it can be done.

There are no studies to support my views, they are just observations and interpertations.

May it be foolish to even say this but it is true "with great power comes great responsibility". Maybe it's easier when the rule applies in fiction but it's sad that it does not reflect in the real world.

In a way the men and women (though rare) that rule our countries, our world, are supposed to be leaders, fair, equal and strong and protect our people, all of us. They are supposed to be superheroes.

Granted that values, religions, opinions and ideas vary but in the end is it really too much to ask of our world leaders to show us the way to kindness, to greatness and most importantly to respect? We will never evolve unless we work for it, unfortunately. All we really have do is ask ourselves: what if it were me? What if it were my friend, parent, sibling that the world has turned on for doing absolutely nothing but being themselves?

Would you still vote for a leader that wants them dead? Would you still ask your country to expose, hate, persecute, abuse or kill?

Power can lead to greatness but only if you truly want that. A great human being is not one who values some people's lives over other's. It is equality for all or none.

//Em

Moments

We build and we break, we bleed and sometimes we heal.
One moment.
Sometimes small and sometimes major.
One moment is all it takes for us to feel, to venture into things unknown, perhaps unheard of for us, for you.
There has been a lot of talk about when and where we are responsible, when it is on our hands; the blood, the tears, the pain... Hatred.
One moment is all it takes.
The question is, do you dare to turn your back? Do you dare to walk another way than all the others?
We build and we break and so the story goes.

Life is hard and painful, uneasy and unkind, it is never fair, never grateful nor understanding. It takes a lot of guts to be able to tell someone affected not to hate, to beg them to look beyond, "be the bigger man". Sometimes it is taken as an insult.
To imagine the pain is impossible, that is an insult I would never dare to speak. I do not understand, I could never. I only understand what I know and no one else. Maybe that is the reason? Maybe that is why it ever so quickly turns and all we are faced with are dark and hateful stares, painful expressions and horrible emotions?

But at some point it has to stop. At some point we have to stop because all the screaming, the blame, the misunderstanding and the hatred will only bring us back to where it all started.
Human nature doesn't matter because human nature is so much more than just power, obsession, hatred, revenge and blame.

Some people do. Some people never forget but they move on. That is perhaps a horrible or insensitive thing to say but they do.
Most of the time we are not talking about monsters without a heart, we are talking about people and leaders. They say that an employee performing badly is most of the time a reflection of a poor leadership, could that not be applied to a country? It's just a question.
Some people are taught one way and then they choose differently, they feel differently, they take a step back and reflect in what is happening and breathe.
What do I want? How do I feel? Do I want to stand for this? What if it were me?

Human nature... It goes both ways. It doesn't always have to mean that you should react one way or the other. Just take a step back and think; do I want to stand for this? Do I want this much hatred and revenge to course through me? Do I want someone else to suffer? What would happen if I took a different turn? A step in another direction.

All it takes is one moment of horror and you could either way, but who do you want to be?

//Em

Dream on

It just goes to show that when you have a dream you have to fully go for it no matter the costs without a thought to what might happen and believe that you can create greatness.

I believe in this dream and it has made me proud!

Love,

Em

Photo: ©Carina Hedlund