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A few weeks ago, I published something that had been on my heart for a while, a post that I called ‘A Love Letter to the World’. It was something that seemed to have come to me over the months that I had been travelling, and although I was petrified of releasing it, mainly because it would nail my colours (and my beliefs) fairly firmly to the mast – I eventually overcame my fear and did.
I’ve got to admit I was worried about alienating friends – that they would perhaps see me as strange or odd – and yet I knew that those who were truly friends would respect my beliefs, even if they didn’t necessarily agree with them!
I did get some wonderful feedback from people when I finally let it go, and I did feel that, no matter what happened and how far it got, at the very least, I had managed to express some of the deeper side of what was going on for me – my beliefs, my hopes – some of what I wanted to achieve on this planet.
And yet, as I expected, I did get some negative feedback, too – and that from a couple of people who I respect and appreciate… and it made me run for cover. I took down the link off my site, and hid.
So, why am I telling you this? Well, I think for each of us it’s time to stand up for what we believe – to decide what we stand for. People have been encouraging me from the shadows for a long, long time. And as Xzibit says in Alice Cooper’s song ‘Stand’;
“Better stand for something or you’re bound to fall for anything”
We need to be brave enough to stand up and say “This is what I stand for. This is what I believe. This is who I am.”
And so, this is my own manifesto, my own declaration. I didn’t just copy this from someone else, or make it up after an evening of surfing the internet.. I poured my soul into it.
I have put the link back, with one or two minor edits based on the feedback I received. I put my own story separately, because in retrospect it didn’t seem to matter as much. It’s all HERE at www.timothyhodgson.com/loveletteragain. Go gently with me – because I am still learning, I am still trying to understand what I believe (and what I don’t!) – but for now – this is where I am, and what I stand for. I hope I’ll have the chance to tell you more soon.
Thankyou for being my friends
