Momentous events can sometimes be forgotten. Priorities competing for equal attention, I almost forgot an important occasion. And I only have a day or hours to panic. Much more if there's an arranged theme that obviously calls for certain attire. The 95th anniversary of The FREEMAN is such a big event that I am not supposed to forget especially that there's a countdown that reminds me of the big day.
Therefore any last minute information is nerve-wracking. Looking for 1920s-inspired attire could really be a pressure considering that I don't maintain cabinets of dresses and that even my mother who was born in this era doesn't have one anymore.
My presence to the occasion is much more important. To see the faces behind the creative and provocative thoughts and the rest of the men and women behind the fair and fearless daily is such a great opportunity. Much more of the elegant venue that I frequent when my performing group would present for certain events; I have to meet the pillars behind the establishment of the paper.
Came the realization that every week I am looking forward to another opportunity to share and influence others' lives. And that in doing so I have to constantly check my values and remind myself that I have a big responsibility to do. That it is not only expressing my opinion on certain issues but I have to be solicitously mindful with facts, information and values.
The event is important to me. I don't need a proxy. Nothing replaces the value of being there live. I have to attend and be grateful for the people that paved the way to impart what I have been doing for the past decades as a cultural servant. It is for me not enough to just be doing in isolation with certain groups but widening the reach and horizon and letting others know is equally important for them, hopefully, to draw inspiration from.
Away from the regular tugs at my time, the same four walls I stare at, I can have a different perspective. I naturally think about things differently. I have an entirely new set of stimuli (visual, auditory, written) to spark creativity and innovation. No matter how I do it, getting outside of my regular environment is worth it more often. This is the same reason, I believe, teams go "offsite" for meetings and brainstorms.
I love my social networks, my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and my entire online system for meeting new people and maintaining relationships. But nothing can replace doing it with a handshake, a smile, and see eye to eye. Whether I do it in the lobby of the hotel or at the sides after the event, these are the relationships that go deeper, that develop long-term preference and value over time. It's differentiating, in my favor, in a way that online networking can never be.
Left and right opportunities and commitments abound. And meeting people in flesh, true good times abound. I need to stop and realize that there is this event that I need to attend, more than my physical presence but to be with the group whose creative and influential prowess influences others.
But in today's world, mere presence is not enough. You have to assert what you believe in is just, right and proper. Because others may just think that what they're doing, for self-aggrandizement, is acceptable.
The importance of attending the event outweighs the pressures of the rush. In everything we do, we just have to stop and find the significance; otherwise competing priorities would drown us. Finding the worth defines what we care and value most. And this defines who we are.
To The FREEMAN, happy 95th anniversary! Mabuhi!