A Shitty* First (and Second and Third) Draft
from a 5 minute in-class writing exercise on 10/5
(Class: Writing in Revolutionary Times)
First
Why do we decide things?
Why do we need to quantify
qualify
Why do we feel the urge
to -er/more
-est/most
The gracelessness of self-critique holds so much power over us that we create hierarchies and spectrums
customized to ensure we fall somewhere near the bottom because we’re too afraid.
What if we say “yes” to the imago dei in us, in ALL of US?
What if we lean hard in the direction of redemption and grace?
Let’s get busy plain-ing the rough places
straightening the crooked
unwinding from the tension of holding too tightly to overcoming our own frailty which was never intended to be seen as a failure.
Second
Why do we need to quantify, to qualify?
Why do we feel the urge to compare, to -er/more and -est/most?
Why do we prefer hierarchies with customizable metrics
to ensure we know we’re less than?
Why do we choose punishing gracelessness
Brutalizing self-critique
Surrendering to the power of “Not ready” and “Not good enough”?
Judgement is the path of least resistance
Because we’re afraid.
We’re afraid to say “Yes” to the imago dei in all of us.
We’re afraid to lean hard in the direction of redemption and grace.
We’re afraid to get busy plain-ing the rough places
Straightening the crooked ones
Unwinding from the tension of holding too tightly to our weaknesses.
Frailty was never intended to be seen as a failure.
Third
Why do we need
to quantify,
to qualify
to make -er/more and -est/most comparisons
Why do we choose
punishing gracelessness
brutalizing self-critique
Why do we surrender to the power of hierarchies with customizable metrics that ensure we know we’re less than?
Because we’re terrified.
Afraid
to say “Yes” to the imago dei in all of us.
to lean hard in the direction of redemption and grace
to get busy plain-ing the rough places
straightening the crooked ones
unwinding the tension of holding too tightly to our weaknesses.
We’ve forgotten that frailty was never intended to mean failure.
*Thanks to Anne Lamott for this encouraging word on trying to get something on paper.
Improvisations 