“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of the history man, no purpose or place, we have no Great war, no Great depression, our great war is a spiritual war, our great depression is our lives.”

~ Fight Club

Many a time I find myself daydreaming that I am transformed into some sort of vigilante goddess, leading our nation through a spiritual rebellion. Education and love are the only weapons available. The soul of each individual is my target.

I have a steady aim to put the Zen back in every citiZen.

My fellow revolutionaries and I go on a full circle journey back to the beginning. Back to the basics. To a time when our lives were not dictated by consumerism. Corporations were non-existent. Local business thrived, supporting the wealth of every economic class instead of the select one percent that hold our currency today. GMOs, hormones, and chemicals in our food were unheard of. Farmers provided nurturing fruits, vegetables, and livestock.

We did not have to turn a blind eye to the fact that a country, which grosses over 15 trillion annually, could allow some of it’s people to starve with the occasional processed food to curb their appetite. There was no advertising of frivolous products to leave a constant distaste of inadequacy in our mouths. It was not material items; but love, laughter, dance, and art that once filled the emptiness in our souls.

Believe it or not there was a time when we recognized earth and it’s environment as sacred. There was a safe home for life to roam without fearing the destructive power of fossil fuels. Marketing did not rob us of our identities, conditioning us to believe that beauty, personality and success are cast from one mold.

There is no world war that could enact the reform our planet is in dire need of. It is only a spiritual revolution of immense power, working from the soul out, that can bring us salvation.

So let us rise up! Take back responsibility for our actions and choices. The change is within each and every one of us. Pointing fingers at the politicians and CEO’s is no longer a crutch for our negligence. We will take an oath to never again sacrifice our health or passions to the vicious cycle of the corporate sphere. Our days will not be squandered away to the illusions of monetary security. The future generations will learn from their elder’s actions in life, rather than from advice on deathbeds of possible better days lived.

This utopian daydream may seem a bit bizarre, I know. It may not be feasible to say that little ol’ me will lead our planet through this spiritual crusade. You know what though? All is fair in love and dreams. It is however, very reasonable to say that each and every one of us are capable of reaching out to a family member, friend, neighbor or community.

If we all can affect at least one individual in our lifetime, then you can rest easy knowing that your time here mattered. The little things add up. Every decision, action, smile and thoughtful gesture matters. It all matters.

One of my all time favorite movie scenes comes from “Any Given Sunday.” Al Pacino explains to his team that

“The inches we need are everywhere around us. They are in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around us to pieces for that inch.
We claw with our finger nails for that inch. Cause we know when we add up all those inches that’s going to make the fucking difference between winning and losing. Between living and dying!”

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Assistant Editor: Daniel Garcia/Editor: Bryonie Wise