Leo Tolstoy and Me
If someone had told me it would be Leo Tolstoy,
the author of so many amazing books,
that I would love to curl up with
and compare lives,
I would have laughed.
Today, though is a new day.
Leo and I grew up complete different lives
but we both operate as discerning reformers.
We bridge deep, systemic analysis with
a radical commitment to spiritual and social justice.
We definitely would not have always agreed
as we would have disagreed
about the human rights of women
and other marginalized individuals.
Leo wrote about the wrongs through literature still read today,
I live out those same core values in how I teach
and journey with others,
however, I teach and advocate for the liberation of all.
Tolstoy did not just write stories,
he gave us a microscope through which
he could introduce us to the details of humanity and society,
at least the part he saw as flawed.
We share the mind of an analyst.
We strive to point out the hypocrisies of society.
We work to dissect the complexities of this world,
breaking them down so others
can learn, examine and understand.
We share a commitment to spiritual justice,
not just one that is theoretical,
but one that is practical.
We write, to write the wrongs in this world,
speaking truth out of our commitment to liberation,
healing and social justice.
We have both moved away from empty dogmas
and embrace a theology about liberating the oppressed
and doing our work in peace.
Leo and I are storytellers.
He wrote to confront societies failures, inequalities and inequities.
I write to challenge the system,
but also to give humanity the tools to heal,
to waken their consciousness,
to help others,
and to give voice to the voiceless.
Leo Tolstoy and I refuse to accept things as they are,
I wish we had met.
Perhaps we will in the next realm.
Then we can talk about the tools we used
to pick systems apart,
what kept our spiritual fires alive,
and how we used all we have been given
to challenge what appeared to be unchangeable,
and make this world a better place,
one moment,
and one war at a time.
Perhaps, if Leo was with us today,
he too would be advocating for the rights of women
and all of humanity.
For now, I continue my efforts,
to change the world
one moment,
and sometimes one second
at a time.
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