This year’s Pride in London has been the busiest ever, reportedly. Parties on streets, big stages, small stages, and a never-ending parade.
I wonder if we could do better than feeling proud. When you look at David Hawkins’s Map of Consciousness you see that the state of Pride is just under the level of Courage, where power starts. At Pride, the life view is still demanding, the emotion is scorn.
Otherwise why would Pride be useful? To fight scorn, to assert oneself against the (back then) energy of discriminatory contempt. Look at some of the messages I saw during the parade in London:
- F**k the patriarchy (powerful message from anger by a lesbian organisation)
- Queers against racism (tell me what you want, not what you don’t want)
- Decolonise pride and the V&A (any “de-” equals “against”)
- There is no place for hate at pride (so what is there place for?)
- Pride is a protest (obviously)
- Fighting for human rights (it’s so easy to fall back at the default -wars against everything-)
The against messages were a minority. I saw lots of powerful, positive for messages. Evoking what we do want instead of what we do not want:
- Diversity in education = better education (I love it, it paints a beautiful picture)
- Love is love (universal statement)
- #Lovewins (Win
– Win-Win) - Team pride (by a football club)
- You are loved, you are lovely (a message of unconditional love by the religious group Christians at Pride, which surprised me)
- Love transcends (by a university)
- Celebrate change. Celebrate equality (one of the most uplifting messages at the parade by Industrial Light & Magic; celebration is much more joyful than pride).
- Celebrate equality, celebrate change (by Disney, that had the best designed and staged section).
- Peace and love
- And then there was the London Gay Symphonic Orchestra, who were just playing lovely music. Music wins. No need for words when a higher form of communication is at play.
A company used contrast in a clever way; stating unwanted attitudes inside healing hearts: “For everyone still judged in silence; For everyone whose gender is invalidated; For everyone denied the right to be themselves”. All underlined by a big “Love goes the distance”.
It was so good to have such variety of messages, all coming from different emotional places. Where you there? What messages did you pick up? What does that say about you?