Today, a definition.

The word?
Line.
L-I-N-E
A noun, from the Latin linea.
In mathematics, a line is a straight object with no fixed beginning or end.
A line is continuous.
In drama, a line is a piece of dialogue to be spoken by an actor to someone or
something.
A line is direct.
A telephone line is a single-user circuit within a physical telephone communication
system.
A line speaks.
A single line of cocaine can permanently alter your brain chemistry within minutes.
A line is change.
Parents warn their children not to cross the line. On the other side there are only
consequences.
A line is resolute.
Line.

L-I-N-E
Four letters about which entire books could be written, the depth of the single word
deeper than the most expansive caverns miles below our feet. A word that brings
images to our minds of starving families waiting for food in the Great Depression, of
desperate, innocent people stumbling through the desert to escape unspeakable
brutality and depravity, of children waiting to step into the gas chambers of
countless concentration camps throughout Europe.
A line is uncomfortable.
And we avoid the line. We turn our backs on the line.

A line is continuous.
And yet our passion for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the enslaved, the oppressed,
the underrepresented, the hated, the abused, the addicted, the marginalized, the
forgotten.. our passion is not continuous. Our passion shifts, like the beam sent
out from a lighthouseback and forth, back and forth, never forgetting to shine
where it should, but always moving away just as quickly as it came. A line is
continuous. Our passion is finite.
A line is direct.
And yet when face-to-face with someone who is broken, who needs nothing more
than to be told that they are worth something, that they are loved..we pull away.
We do needs assessments and strategic plans and allow that man or that woman to
become just another face in the crowd of program participants who we track so that
we can get our newest program into next years budget. A line is direct. Our
methods are shrouded in mist.
A line speaks.
And yet those of us who fortune graced with knowledge and wisdom and a fire for
justice sit idly by and watch as the world that we love rips itself to shreds. We
shake our heads at the faceless institutions who manipulate our society and shrug
our shoulders. Well change the system someday, right? Let me just get that dream
job with benefits and a retirement package, and then Ill have some time to focus on
my true calling. A line speaks. We are silent.
A line is change.
Yet its the incremental change that we embrace. Just a little bit at a time, lets not
upset the apple cart, too much change too quickly is a recipe for disaster. While we
sit in our climate-controlled offices with our coffee stations and our innovative plans
to enact systemic change, there is a man on his knees in front of his burning home
covered in the blood of his murdered family who, through his unquenchable sorrow
says, It must be nice to have time for the luxury of incremental change. A line is
change. We are strategic.
A line is resolute.
And yet when pitted against those who are better funded, better equipped, better
supported, and who have more to gain than to lose, we temper our commitment
with tolerance. It was a hard fight, and we didnt exactly win, but a little movement
in our favor is better than no movement at all, lets just take the time to enjoy it.
Little by little those who set the stage and hold all the strings use superficial
initiatives and paper-thin policies to pull the wool over our eyes, making us believe
that we moved the needle back in the right direction, all while unaware that there

are a thousand other needles moving the other way. A line is resolute. We are
wavering.

When we see injustice, when we see violence, when we see those with power
trampling down those without.we talk about drawing the line.
But do we really know what that means?
If a line is continuous, drawing the line is to fix our eyes on the change we
want to see and not looking away.
If a line is direct, drawing the line is to abandon our insecurities and our
distractions in favor of unwavering action
If a line speaks, drawing the line is to pull open our mouths and speak
passion like fire and thunder
If a line is change, drawing the line is to gather every ounce of strength
we can muster and not rest until everyone, every single person is free
what whatever binds them
If a line is resolute, then drawing the line is to not take the morsels
thrown to us by the institutions who want to enslave us, but rather
spitting those morsels back and saying, No, your time is up. Feel free to
sit the fuck down now.

It is time that we draw that line. Its time that we abandon ourselves in reckless
pursuit of radical change, to break the shackles that we put on ourselves and use
our hands to stop hate and violence and intolerance and greed right here. Where we
draw the line.

Today, a definition.
The word?
Line.
L-I-N-E
A noun, from the Latin linea.
Definition?

All of us.