Grow Up: An Appeal to Heaven
It is not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person. It is what comes out of the mouth that contaminates a person. – Matthew 15:11
I started this series because I was a victim of lies, both my own and those of others. I was a witness to how my friends, family, and even I were being trapped by selfish desires that keep us from what we are meant to be: ADULTS. Little by little, depression began to manifest inside of me. What I saw around me didn’t match what I felt inside; a perfect world on the outside, but inside full of pain from the fruitless search for happiness in all the wrong places… TV, bars, Instagram, and dare I say it, the church. I realized that we literally live in The Matrix, where the world disguises our lives and hides the truth from us. We are Peter Pan, never wanting to abandon Neverland. But, it isn’t real…
What is it to be an Adult?
I realized that I needed to define what it meant to be an adult in order to see that character manifest in my life. To be an adult has nothing to do with your age, or whether you like video games or candy. To be an adult by my definition is to be REAL, to assume your limits and the limits of others. To be an adult means to make sacrifices and assume your role in life, whether to be a father, mother, or friend. An adult understands that for the common good, sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself, and in this way we all grow together. To be an adult is to learn from your mistakes, and even more importantly, to GROW from them. To be an adult is to be true to yourself, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is PAINFUL. I was suffering the consequences of not having grown. I noticed that it was happening as well to my family and friends, at all levels of our lives: Lack of REALITY and PERSONAL GROWTH.
In Search of Truth
In my search for truth, I became conscious of the fact that we live like zombies, allowing life to carry us one way or another through fear of our surroundings. While walking this path, an idea began to take shape: find a symbol that unifies us in our struggle to grow, something bigger than the individual. A symbol that gives us strength to conquer and fight for the things that are worth fighting for: OUR FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHO WE ARE & HOW WE ARE GOING TO ACHIEVE GROWTH. I have been a Christian for a few years. My husband and I don’t go to the church, not because we wouldn’t like to, but because we have found that there are even more lies there than what we find on the TV. My mother in law showed me a Christian Flag once whose simplicity caught my attention: a white flag with a small pine in the center and the phrase: An Appeal to Heaven.
When All Else Fails…
The tree is an EVERGREEN, which for the natives was a sacred tree symbolizing eternity. The phrase “bury the hatchet” comes from the custom of burying a hatchet underneath an evergreen to symbolize “eternal peace.” For the colonists, the tree symbolized life itself, as it was necessary for their survival in the new lands. However, the English had a great appreciation for these trees in the creation of ships and masts, as they typically reach up to 150 feet high. Very high penalties were imposed if a tree was disturbed by someone without a permit issued by the English crown. That flag was flown in a naval battle of 6 ships made with the wood of those pines, led by George Washington against the English. On the flag appears the motto of “An Appeal to Heaven”, the phrase by John Locke where he transmits the COURAGE that arises when all else fails: governments, economies, family. Then what do you do? You appeal to heaven. And that is what I am doing right now, writing these lines so that you become aware of your courage in the life that has been given to you.
Appeal to Heaven
I want to recover the spirit of struggle and courage that this flag represents against those who have failed us, be it the English crown of that time, or any authority that directs our thoughts. Like the EVERGREEN to the colonialists, Marijuana is part of our lives at an extremely important level. Marijuana is the symbol that I have chosen for this campaign to break the prejudices and lies that invade our culture; to provide us the freedom to think for ourselves, as the adult beings that we are.
My Reflection
I cannot give life lessons, nor tell you how to do things. But, I want to recover the spirit that this flag transmits. However, to recover this symbol, it must first be reinvented. So, why Marijuana? Because, like the EVERGREEN, it is a symbol of freedom. More than that, it is a REVOLUTION OF THOUGHT. The Marijuana leaf is illegal both in the Christian world as well as the secular world. Both share the same prejudices. I think the strength with which the plant and its effects are rejected by both worlds is extremely telling. In my opinion, people who think like this do not have enough truth in their lives for them to ask proper questions, without prejudices that contaminate their minds, and to come to understand for WHO this plant is: SUITABLE FOR ADULTS ONLY. Adults who are aware that it is a plant that contains chemicals that alter perception, emphasizes emotions, and who also are aware of its physical and psychological benefits. Only an adult can understand that there is nothing wrong with it, only if you do not know yourself enough and let your selfish desires eclipse your goal of being a ADULT: with your own ideas, authority over your desires and self-control every day.
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