Heroes and Villains
Inner strength has little to do with muscle or even courage.
“Strong people recognize their strengths and use them to overcome internal weakness and external challenge”--Carmen Mariano, Educator
Born September 7, 1533, the daughter of a king, Elizabeth Tudor used her extraordinary life-experiences to transform from weakness to strength and become Queen of England, France and Ireland.
Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn–the second of six wives of King Henry VIII–was beheaded by orders of her husband when Elizabeth was only two years old.
When King Henry died in 1547, he left the throne to his then, nine-year-old son, Edward, who died just six years later.
Upon her brother’s death, Elizabeth’s half-sister Mary became Queen. Mary was Catholic and became known as ‘Bloody Mary’ for her persecution of Protestants during her reign. Elizabeth, being Protestant, was kept in prison during much of Mary’s reign due to Mary’s fear that Elizabeth might plot to take her life to gain access to the throne.
On her deathbed in 1558, Mary reluctantly accepted Elizabeth’s right to the throne. Elizabeth became Queen at the age of 25. However, she faced many challenges. Her people where being torn apart by Catholic and Protestant conflicts. With each side trying to win favor from the Queen, Elizabeth lived in constant fear for her life.
Realizing that something must be done or her regime would topple, Elizabeth called a meeting of the two opposing forces. Lacking self-confidence and the polished public speaking skills that she would later develop, Elizabeth searched within her own heart and mind for answer. She did not want to disappoint her people. The outcome appeared very grim.
She opened the meeting with the bold statement that no one group had an exclusive claim on God. Tempers erupted, accusations of heresy were shouted from the crowd. Gasps of disbelief and outrage spread throughout the chamber as the people reacted to the words of their newly crowned Queen. Instead of cowering under the weight of the overwhelming negative forces, accusations and threats, Elizabeth continued with a surprising forcefulness in her speech. She insisted that all sides must work together for the sake of the people of England. She presented herself as the representative of those people and their interests. It was her duty to bring this dispute to a settlement for the sake of “her people”.
Her unexpected show of courage and strength brought her a victory with the majority voting to support her proposal of a common church of England. The event marks a turning point in English history, strengthening the central power of the monarchy and weakening the authority of the church. It presented a sense of power to the people of England and control of their government and their destiny.
Celebration of her achievements was cut short when the Papacy in Rome got word of her actions. Elizabeth soon found herself surrounded by dark forces. It is alleged that the Vatican ordered her death, sending an emissary to kill her. Members of her own cabinet plotted against her. Once again, Elizabeth looked within for strength to save her own life, as well as, to find a way to secure the welfare of her people. She faced danger from every direction. A malice circle of corruption and conspiracy tightened around her.
Elizabeth knew there was only one solution and only one way to save her life. She searched deep for the courage to do what she knew she had to do. She made the most important decision of her life. All enemies of the Queen were arrested or killed, by orders of Elizabeth I, Queen of England, France and Ireland.
Her actions re-established order among her people and her display of psychological strength earned her respect from all. She has been identified as one of the greatest rulers of all time. Her forty year reign has become known as the “Golden Age of England”.
Though the events and life of Elizabeth I are extraordinary, they serve as an example to modern society, how one person’s inner strength and courage can impact the world.
As members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender community, we are also faced with extraordinary challenges on a daily basis. However, having all of our enemies arrested or killed is not a reasonable solution to our problems, either. Although, many might argue that our current government is doing just that. We will, for the purpose of this report, not address that subject at this time.
We are all confronted daily by negative forces and resistance. Depression is at an all-time high, globally. We have progressed beyond the limits of our own imaginations in the areas of science and industry, yet in the year 2007, there are still groups of people fighting for their basic freedoms and equality.
There are no innocent bystanders in today’s world, only those who prefer to remain blindfolded. In order to progress as a community, we must identify our own weaknesses, correct the situation and develop ourselves, first; individually and then as a community.
Our most obvious opposing force is, often, ourselves. Petty differences among our own community are preventing us from becoming the unstoppable force we, if unified, would no doubt become.
Forgiveness, compassion and brotherly love will one day bind us as a real community. At that point, Pride will have a new meaning and our quest for equality will be victorious!
Into the light is a weekly column dedicated to rational discussion of legislative pursuit, moral proposition and the general quest for equality of the LGBT Community.
Jim Lawson
webcowboy42@aol.com
Into the Light
Power of Love/Love of Power
Remember those early days after high school and during college with good friends? Looking back at old photographs, everyone appeared so optimistic and everyone had genuine smiles. We all shared the same enthusiasm for life and the challenges of the future were exciting for us at the time. College and the short period after was when I met many of my lifetime friends here in Charleston, WV.
Is it our innocence that we lose to Father Time or our optimism? I have watched many friends transform over the years. I, too, have shed many skins as I have adapted to the cards that life has dealt me over the past 20 years, since those intimate moments in the company of good friends and fraternity brothers at West Virginia Tech and Charleston.
I think as a society, in general, we are failing when it comes to educating our children about the important things in life. Things like diversity, love unconditional, integrity, loyalty to friends and compassion for those different or less fortunate than ourselves. Instead we encourage our youth to be competitive, to keep reaching further and trying harder. It is all about who we can become, not who we are. How we can fit in and please others, rather than showing our true colors and expressing our own philosophies on life.
To live our lives by these standards is literally like creating our own little fish bowl of a world. There is little room to grow and to experience the magnitude of nature and taste all the vast assortment of flavors Mother Earth offers.
To do a followup on the progress of that same group of people in that same photograph of friends sharing a couple of drinks and a multitude of laughs on twenty-five cent draft beer night at the local college pub in 1987, we find that each of them has had at least two unsuccessful marriages or long term relationships, two or three of them have dealt with life threatening illnesses or disease, most or all of them have dealt with tragedy in one form or another and it is a rarity to capture a genuine smile on their faces, although, they have successfully climbed the social ladder, just purchased a new sports car and was promoted to Executive Vice President of their company recently; most or all of them are taking some form of prescribed drug to treat depression, is or has been treated for some form of chemical dependency.
No wonder there has been such a high suicide rate among baby boomers. I believe that our parents and educators did have our best interests in mind, but they failed in teaching us the true meaning of life. Social stigmas blended with religious prejudices has created a very confused and callused society. So what is the recipe for happiness and balance in our lives after the realization that it is not to be found in the material wealth we have acquired or things and people we have lost?
Take a few minutes and allow your mind to drift back in time. When was the last time you wrapped your arms around a good friend and told them you loved them and did not want that moment to end? Now think of the changes in your life since then. Have you given up those feelings in search of fame and material wealth?
Edgar Allen Poe, one of the greatest poets of all times, wrote of a personal quest for fame and fortune of a young man who left the love and beauty of his life behind one night as she slept to pursue the worldly desires that tugged at his soul. In his work titled ‘Tamerlane’, he describes a young ambitious man full of zest and an appetite for power and material success. He experienced fame and fortune beyond his imagination, however, they did not bring him the happiness he had anticipated. His memories of the love he left behind to conquer the world were never matched by material wealth or success. He longed to touch her skin and smell her perfume, nothing he could buy could replace this overwhelming hunger to see her again. He decides to return to the place that he knew as a youth and the love he left behind many years earlier.
I leave you with an excerpt from Edgar Allen Poe’s “Tamerlane”:
I reach’d my home–my home no more–
For all was flown that made it so–
I pass’d from out its mossy door,
In vacant idleness of woe.
There met me on its threshold stone
A mountain hunter, I had known
In childhood but he knew me not.
Something he spoke of the old cot:
It had been better days, he said;
There rose a fountain once, and there
Full many a fair flow’r raised its head:
But she who rear’d them was long dead,
And in such follies had no part,
What was there left me now? despair–
A kingdom for a broken–heart.
Into the light is a weekly column dedicated to rational discussion of legislative pursuit, moral proposition and the general quest for equality of the LGBT Community.
Jim Lawson
webcowboy42@aol.com
Into the Light Release
“What kind of a man would lie to the man he is cheating on his partner with?” Read it again. Right, now smile, take a deep breath and move on.
Things sure look different when you remove the blinders, don’t they? Time to turn the situation over to Miss Karma and pat yourself on the back for not buying in; find out who he is screwing this week and mail the sympathy card.
I have had my own share of disappointments lately, but in some strange way, I feel more enlightened as I rethink and reroute my life. Letting go is not always an easy thing to do. This week I have had to come to terms with some very real issues in my life. I have had to search deep within my own words of encouragement that I wrote to my readers for new meaning to my own situation. It was time to throw in the towel and find the courage to move ahead without some of the people I always thought I wanted to see beside me. The realization that they never were equally interested in remaining in those positions of my life hurt deep.
I have committed myself to writing that book that sat on the back burner of my imagination for so long and have found a publishing company that is willing to invest in my idea. A bittersweet ending, now becomes a new beginning. I survived, yet another of life’s unexpected events and yes, I am a stronger person from the experience.
When things get tough and you look around to see the backs of family and friends as they flee the scene, and you realize it is up to you, and you only, to find the courage and survival instincts to meet the challenge, there is first a feeling of disbelief that it is happening, then you do have to find a way to survive it, endurance will be the key factor. However the man who emerges is not the same man that fell off the horse.
When and if those same people ever look me in the eye, they will quickly realize a change. Sometimes I feel I am having a love affair with my readers. I can’t wait to sit and share experiences with them again. Although, many of them would not even know me if we passed in the supermarket, our souls have gently touched. So it is you who brings me Into the Light this week. Thank you guys for embracing and encouraging me on this project. I am a very humbled man as I write this.
It has been the compassion of strangers that has renewed my faith in mankind this week. Not charity, but genuine smiles and virtual hugs. The Internet is not just a haven for predators and freaks as it is often portrayed by many. It is a porthole to the universe, an infinite polarity of all that is good and all that is bad at our fingertips.
I would like to share a poem with you that was presented to me by someone I was once close to when my partner committed suicide and now rededicate it to the same person who sent it to me as we go our separate ways in this life.
After A While
After a while, you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts.
And presents aren't promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats
With the grace of God, not the grief of a child,
And you learn to build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans,
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight
And after a while you learn
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure ...
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth
And you learn and learn ...
And with every goodbye, you learn.
By Veronica A. Shoffstall
http://www.angelrays.com/Cards/star/after/awhile.html
Into the light is a weekly column dedicated to rational discussion of legislative pursuit, moral proposition and the general quest for equality of the LGBT Community.
Jim Lawson
webcowboy42@aol.com
Into the Light
Love, Lust and Betrayal
Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times
Their love affair received global attention and their breakup touched the hearts of millions. Roy and Silo, two gay chinstrap penguins at the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan, were inseparable for nearly six years. They refused female companionship when it was offered to them and the females did not seem interested in them either. They displayed a very open and sincere affection for each other. They were vocal with each other, they would entwine their necks and yes, they had sex with each other. They even incubated an egg together and raised a baby female penguin (Tango) together.
They displayed an almost desperate desire to incubate an egg together by placing a rock in their nest and keeping it warm in the folds of their abdomens. After noticing this behavior, zoo officials gave them a fertile egg that needed incubated and the two male penguins were praised for doing a great job at incubating the egg and parenting the chick penguin in a 50/50 split of the parenting responsibilities.
Their tale of love, sexuality, betrayal and “penguin lust”brought more attention to the issues of gay marriage and gay parenting than years of human activism. Roy and Silo proudly displayed their love for each other through a very different pride march. They appeared so happy together and displayed what zoo officials and scientists called “ecstatic behavior” together. This seemingly very natural attraction and affection for each other became a strong argument for gay activist groups that homosexuality in humans as well as animals was also a very natural thing.
Their courtship lasted for nearly six years and they remained faithful to each other the entire time. Then one day they were booted out of their love nest by other aggressive male penguins and afterwards began to spend less time with each other. Then it happened, Silo met Scrappy, a female penguin that joined the zoo from California and was unfaithful to Roy.
After six years they decided to call it quits and Silo built a nest with Scrappy and no longer acknowledged his homosexual attraction and emotions for Roy and the six years they had spent together as a family. Their high profile breakup attracted more media attention than Ellen and Anne. The devastating news of their split saddened fans worldwide. Silo embraced a new life through a heterosexual relationship with Scrappy, while Roy spent much of his time alone, staring blankly at a wall. Scrappy dealt with her image as a home wrecker and Tango, the chick that the two male penguins raised, met and had a relationship with a female penguin.
Homosexuality is very common among many species of animals. Since the breakup of the original Silo and Roy in 2005, other young male penguins have been sighted hanging out together and forming unique male bonds with each other at the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan.
What does the observation of the behavior of these animals tell us about our own sexuality? What went wrong for Silo and Roy? Did the outside pressures of society play a factor in their decision to go their own ways or was it just Silo’s lust for Scrappy that caused him to stray from Roy? I was touched by the struggles and successes of Silo and Roy. Their story is proof that love is a rare and special gift that sometimes requires some effort and self-control and that most male species fight a constant battle between the heart and hormones.
Into the light is a weekly column dedicated to rational discussion of legislative pursuit, moral proposition and the general quest for equality of the LGBT Community.
Jim Lawson
bravenet.com