…Anything else is treason
Thousands of people around the world run away every day. I know this sounds like a very badly thought ONE Campaign commercial, but it’s true. Just imagine Bono or Sting or Ricky Martin on your television screen:
FADE IN
BONO SITTING IN A CHAIR IN FRONT OF CHROMA KEY/ FLASHING PICTURES OF PEOPLE IN VARIOUS STATES OF EMOTIONAL DISCONTENT
SAME SETTING FOR ALL THREE ARTISTS
CHROMA KEY FADES TO WHITE
BONO: Every day, thousands of people run away from their homes and workplaces in a desperate attempt to find their long lost dreams and passions that have been sucked away by slaving mindlessly over paper work and worrying about sucky bosses.
TRANSITION
RICKY MARTIN: Some smoke weed to ease the pain, others get in the car at six in the morning to never return (maybe go to Miami?). The most unlucky ones stay exactly where they are and do nothing, because that is what they have been taught to do. (TSK TSK FACE)
TRANSITION
STING: But not all is lost, with only one click YOU (POINT FINGER AT TELEVISION AUDIENCE) can help stop this world pandemic of escapers and runaways.
FADE TO BLACK/ CAMPAIGN LOGO
Okay, those are great commercials for a good cause. Shame on me. But the truth is, we do live in a world of runaways and I’m not talking about the sad cases of children who escape their homes, or get lost or people who commit suicide. That’s a whole different problem. I’m talking about the ones who tough it out in the world every day, go to jobs they absolutely hate because they have to sustain themselves and their children, the ones who wish themselves away to whatever paradise is just so they can survive the day without leaving their brains splattered on the computer screen. I’m talking about those runaways, the ones who occupy our same space/time continuum, but who aren’t really here at all.
I’m also talking about myself. Lately, I’ve spent most of my time running away from some things I don’t understand and from some things I do understand. It’s that fight or flight theory, you know? The thing is, these days in my country, the only option is to stay and fight and anything else is treason of the worst kind.
So, for your entertainment, here are three recent acts of treason perpetrated by my own damn self. In no particular order:
#1: LEAVING
Two summers ago, when this wasn’t even a tangible possibility, my friend Henry the Gay (obviously not his real name) gave me shit about this: “Why do you feel the need to move away?” he asks. Then he answers his own question, “Well that’s because you don’t know how to plan your life”. Gee, glad to know. If there are words meant to hurt, than that should be a text book example. That was the first not so subtle way of ostracizing me for wanting to leave this paradise.
The more subtle ways which have made me feel like an overnight pariah are as follows: indifference, fake joy…well, and the whole shebang. I mean, I can’t say I wasn’t warned about this by an experimented runner, so I take it all with a grain of salt.
#2: BEING TIRED OF PROTESTING
Which translates to: you are a selfish person who doesn’t care about anyone else but herself. Not true. There have been some big and very significant university protests, which I fully support despite my own interest in getting the hell out of dodge. But, in my defense, if you’ve known me long enough, you know I protest about everything. EVERYTHING. The very important and the not so important and I’m just tired, you know? Which makes me right now very un-Puerto Rican.
#3: DID I MENTION LEAVING?
I think I did. Leaving is not the real crime now, don’t get me wrong. Wanting something better for yourself, now that deserves the death penalty.
I sound extra bitter, I know. I also have a very good support system in the form of three powerful friends and allies of mass destruction, so I should not be complaining. What I’m really complaining about is the attitude, one that I used to share and that I fell for many years ago. It’s this line of thinking that says that if you leave, you are giving up. Never mind your dreams or your passions or that the hand of God (meaning THE MAN) already decided to throw you out by making it impossible for anyone to live decently, that’s beside the point. The point is that something, someone, has made us believe that we are worthless; therefore, we deserve nothing more than this. This is our destiny and we should accept it lying down and when someone decides to do the opposite, well, that’s just unacceptable behavior.
