The O-town Scene

Keep Up Now! Overcoming fear is biggest challenge in life “The profound is observed in surrender- ing to what you already know to be true but have yet to apply and so you will be shown again. This is so with all truth. There is nothing new under the sun. In joy- ful enthusiasm more will come to be heard and by acknowledging they will be heard they are given the opportunity to share their life’s’ accumulations with those still here in this place of material existence.” —Rob Ludwig Have you ever experienced déjà vu? The feeling you have already experienced a current situation? We tend to plug into familiar patterns. We feel “safe” in familiar circumstances. Fear of the unknown is paralyzing. We plant our feet, yet the currents of change eventually tear us from the rock we cling so desperately to. This is the nature of our human experi- ence; a state of flux. Overcoming fear is our greatest chal- lenge. The lesson will repeat again and again, in multitude scenarios, until we apply them; ultimately evolving into Love — our true nature. “Our Greatest Fear” “It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be bril- liant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about Jeremey Redlien Diversity means it’s OK to be different Traditionally, whether it be a cultural or racial group, an exclusive club, etc., people tend to think anyone in our group is “good,” while anyone in that other group is “bad.” We then use those groups to stratify our society, usually with classifications that are easily identified such as race or gender. Groups that break with these classification systems, tend to be the most targeted for discrimination. In our society, transgender and bisexual individuals break with easy classification systems such as gay/straight or male/ female. Then there are those who lack a strong sexual desire to any sex. shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in every- one. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, Our presence automatically liberates others.” — Marianne Williamson We look outside ourselves for our hap- piness. In truth, everything you need is inside of you. Go inside and find the answers you are looking for. Your light is there. It is the ba- sis for all of your strength, your greatness and your Love! You are limitless, eternal and more pow- erful than you can possibly imagine. You have simply forgotten. “Keep up Now! with the stream of higher consciousness and stay connected to the Source.” According to Wikipedia, “asexuality in its broadest sense is the lack of sexual attraction ... or the lack of interest in and desire for sex.” In an over-sexualized world, asexual individuals cannot be accused of fol- lowing the norm. Then there’s the issue of transgender. Where sexual orientation deals with ex- ternal attraction, gender identity refers to internal identification. People who do not iden- tify as either male/female can most broadly be classified as transgender. The term transgender however, can encompass a broad spectrum, including: • Intersex: the condition where a person is born with indeter- minate genitalia. • Transvetism: when a person dresses up and assumes the mannerisms of the opposite gender. • GenderQueer/Genderf*cks: Those who wish to flaunt the system entirely, usually will take on deliberately provoca- tive styles of dress, usually incorporating both masculine and feminine features. — Terry Ludwig Terry Ludwig’s brother, Rob, passed away in 2004 after battling AIDS. Before he passed, he shared his message. “Keep Up Now!” is the result of that communica- tion. She can be reached at keepupnow@ gmail.com. This is just skimming the issue, but I also want to point out that there are also labels for sexual orientations like pansexual and omnisexual, which were created to acknowledge that there are more than two genders. Biphobia and transphobia are very real issues. One could make the case that the bullying faced by gay and lesbian youth, is just as much about gender conformity as it is the result of homophobia. Boys and male teenagers, who display weakness or effemi- nate traits, are extremely likely to be bullied by their peers. We believe in the absoluteness of good and evil so strongly we often forget to acknowledge the grey areas in between. Creating diversity is not about redeveloping superior/inferior paradigms; it’s about acknowledging that there is nothing wrong with being different. Jeremey Redlien graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. His blog is Queering the Closet. Jan. 20, 2011 O-Town Scene 27 the Diversity Scene Jan. 20-Jan. 27

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