Introduction to Voice of Reason by Susaye Greene
I cannot remember a time when I was not in show business. As a
youngster, I did commercials in New York City, I experienced the
rarefied air of Professional Children’s School, where professional
showbiz kids, ballet dancers, singers, actors and musicians could work
during the day, and still get their college-preparatory education.
Later, the High School of Performing Arts, (which the movie and TV show
“Fame” were fashioned after) where I majored in drama, after
attending public elementary and junior high schools on Long Island, the
major part of normalcy I was to experience in my younger schooldays.
Show business has afforded me the blessing of traveling the world. As a
teenager, I saw Italy, Germany, France, England, Scandinavia, Japan,
most of South America and almost every city large or small in America.
My spirit of revolution was born in the sixties, to the wild guitar
strains of Jimi Hendrix, while traveling the world with Ray Charles. My
rebellious cry was hewn from reading everything from Malcolm X’s
biography to Jack Kerouacs’ road-traveler counter-culture adventures.
I met people everywhere, and picked up on world culture. I found my
world view; I began to see through the eyes of the world. Even though I
will always be at heart an American woman, I became a sister to the
world at large and began to see the connective thread that unites all of
us as a universal race: the human race, as a necessity of my spirit.
From Brazil to Paris, I learned the differences and similarities of so
many cultures and I grew into a woman honed by the women’s movement.
I believe women’s issues are important still, though in my mind, there
is no longer an in-your-face women’s movement, per se, but I think
most of us know things will never be the same since the introduction of
the birth control pill. While living in England I became involved in a
marvelous English women’s book collective. We read books that promoted
equality: non sexist multicultural multi- language children’s books,
covering most pertinent subjects, called Letterbox Library. They had a
profound effect on me, showing me how women of differing backgrounds
could truly and heartily share their views and affect the source of
education at the grass roots level. These scholars, mothers, teachers,
English, Irish, Jewish, Jamaican, with different upbringings, made me
face what the world is with such a broad perspective, through
children’s books for all ages. We read baby books to older teenage
books. They were sold to schools, and to individuals. They continue
their work today and are a great and far-reaching influence in English
modern education.
My view of women around the world changed at that time, making me
realize how important the woman’s voice is as nurturer, educator, and
planner of the future. But it was my own mother who said to me, “You
can do anything you choose, be anything you want, reach the stars and
learn infinitely.” The grace to accept all people, to share the
knowledge of my talent and experience, came from her. She taught me to
know the power of my thoughts and that they are mine to wield as
powerful actions.
When I met Bryant McGill, it was as if we had always known each other.
Being able to see the effect he has on others with his words, opened my
eyes to a new way of looking at words and actions. I have seen him go
through a great personal change on many levels. But his words continue
to ring with such commanding truth, it is impossible to ignore the
strength and wisdom coming through him.
His “Voice of Reason” is a bell ringing to the sound of silent
screaming: a wake-up call to a generation crying out for help. Without
this kind of hue and cry, we may simply erase ourselves out of
existence. The rare man who sees with extreme clarity, and peels back
the layers of humanity for us to see clearly, is more than a welcome
blessing these extraordinary times. Bryant McGill is such a man.
Few have such a daring and bold sense of destiny, and only a few times
in our lives are events lined up consciously, to show us what the
possibilities of our goodness can be. In these treacherous times, where
the fruits of caring are callously cast aside, we ask ourselves, “How
can we survive? How can we remain human, let alone optimistic about our
future? How can we retain the sweetness of our souls and the innocence
of our childhoods?” And especially, “How can we achieve our dreams
of peace in the futures of our children?”
The brave spirit of compassion lies just underneath the surface in each
of us. Yet, our harsh reality strives to wrest that purity from us. I
cannot imagine a more exciting time to live in: a time when our
technology exceeds our expectations, and infinite choice lies at our
fingertips.
We are told to embrace darkness at every turn, as the “new cool.”
Vampires, zombies and other nebulous creatures have seduced their way
into our popular culture. Long gone are the days of manners and
comportment. The internet has created a hotbed foundation of public
opinion, with sometimes vile results: people hide behind false screen
names to assume characters who thrive without grace, charm or manners.
Bullying has taken on a new level of cruelty; people say anything they
like, whether nasty, hurtful, or simply negative. It’s every man for
himself, full steam ahead, damn the torpedoes, my world, my opinion, me,
me, me.
The ashes of our gentle caring are obliterated for the sake of any evil
popularity. What is left, is a hefty bitterness against our fellow man
and our worldwide situation.
The simple act of listening is the beginning of change in our lives and
the lives of those who have shared in the legacy of disenfranchisement
of the spirit, because that act opens the heart to hopeful change.
Reaching out to our fellow human beings takes many forms, but clueing in
to the need and the right to be heard is most important, because it
takes us out of ourselves and into the essence of others. What child
does not need to be heard? Which man or woman does not need to be
understood by others? We share the same feelings, when we break it down;
we all want the same things out of life: We want to be loved, we want to
be safe and happy, cared for, cared about, listened to and understood,
we want to be free to choose our lifestyles, whom we love. We all want
to be educated and work through our lives with passion and elemental
success.
We cannot achieve these things without the simple confidence that comes
from living our lives fully aware of others’ needs. We think we stand
alone, and many of us have been fooled into thinking we can succeed
alone, in our selfish cultures. When we take away the trappings of
status and competition, we are left with our simplicity; a race of human
beings.
“Voice of Reason” determines and clarifies the goals of humanity,
and helps us recognize the way forward. We can do anything we choose
with our lives. The consequences of not choosing correctly are enormous.
— Susaye Greene Artist, Activist and former Singer from the Motown
Sensation, “The Supremes”
Singer and Songwriter for Stevie Wonder
and the late Michael Jackson and Ray Charles PREAMBLE
There is something greater than any nation; it is the spirit which
created the nation. It is to that spirit which this document speaks.
These ideas are dedicated to providing a positive bridge of thought
leadership, from the eternal spirit of good, to help the innocent,
youthful mind of revolution arrive home safely.
∞
The voice of reason is that mindful and beautiful discourse, speaking
for every heart’s simple desire to exist in peace, harmony and
cooperation, with our human family members at home and abroad. The voice
of reason is immutably intrinsic, and exists as an innate feature of the
good conscience, which is whispering to each person, at every moment,
and is always speaking for the greater good of all, whether we are
listening to it or not. The voice of reason is the beating heart of
continuity of justice, reform of corruption, and the revolution of human
consciousness, in those sacred and wonderful times of social change and
evolution.
Where wise actions are the fruit of life, wise discourse is the
pollination. Respectful communication under conflict or opposition is an
essential and truly awe-inspiring ability of the modern human being’s
newly evolved social sensibility. It involves having the courage to
listen carefully and respectfully, and then giving real and heartfelt
consideration to what has been communicated. It involves reaching for
deeper understanding beyond what was merely said and into what was meant
or intended. It involves considering the greater context of the history
and experiences that created the need for the discussion, over what may
sometimes be years, decades or even centuries. This type of high-order
listening is only possible with great intention, humility and
magnanimity.
What every person or group wishes to say is important, even when we do
not fully understand their message, and even when they do not fully
understand their own message. This is because what we are really
engaging in is a sharing of ideas, feelings and emotions. We are all
thinking and feeling entities and we all have these wonderful and
sometimes painful emotions within us, ever reminding us that we feel,
that we are alive, that we are involved, and that we are inseparable
from the great experience of living. We share profound
interconnectedness with our natural and artificial environments, our
communities, our created-nations, our institutions and with every person
alive and to be born. Yes, we are all one in this great experience of
life. What we do to others, we do to ourselves, and so it is essential
that we reach for the highest place within ourselves, and afford every
soul we encounter the wide and free passage they need to give birth to
the dear expressions they feel are important. We must always strive
toward our noblest behavior as good listeners by receiving messages with
a graceful comportment, showcasing the highest state of respect we can
muster. Even as the sometimes flawed, fragile and immature beings that
we are, we can encourage and facilitate the mutual, free and respectful
exchange of ideas.
The power of the idea is often overlooked, but if you think about it,
everything is really an idea. A government, institution, company or even
a society is really just an idea. They are constructs, or thought-forms
of consensus reality, that only exist because we choose to support them
collectively with the human resources of the heart, mind and hand. So
make no mistake, there is no battle or engagement with any institution,
company or government; it is always an engagement of ideas. Never lose
sight of the fact that we are at all times exclusively dealing with
ideas, and all ideas in a truly free society should always be open for
discussion.
The systems of governance and community we create must hold many
elements of life in constant consideration, the highest of which is
freedom of the individual to live the life they choose in safety. Of
course these considerations go beyond more than mere individualism,
because the individual cannot exist outside of the many spheres of the
deeply interconnected webs of life, so our solutions must also be
organic and holistic. It is tremendously short-sighted when individuals,
institutions, communities or other idea- constructs, fail to consider
people during all stages of life. It is especially disgraceful when our
created society fails to respond to the human indignities of not having
our simple needs met, for we are all frail-embodied creatures, who at
times suffer through injustice, abuse, illness, pain and misfortune.
When a society becomes that insensitive and impotent, those
dysfunctional or malignant parts must be engaged, and then transformed
or eliminated to make way for more sensible and humane constructs. In
other words, those constructs are bad ideas, which must be replaced with
better ideas.
Respect is the lifeblood of progress, and the safe harbor of
humanity’s great aspiration—that all people have human rights
affording them unfettered access to liberty and justice. Respect is that
great spirit of good, which creates the beautiful space giving all souls
the simple room to breathe. Every blood-soaked patch of soil in the
world came from the grotesque attempt to surreptitiously or overtly
control others by imposing selfish will over the broad consensus desires
for safety and respect, and by failing to recognize universal human
commonality. Any act of violence creates resentment and resistance,
because humans were meant to be free. This includes passive violence,
which is ubiquitous in today’s current world construct we have chosen
for ourselves.
One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what
another has to say. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you have to
agree with people and their beliefs to defend them from injustice.
Listening is just. Listening is the way. Listening is the beginning. The
voice of reason is speaking to us all, and now is the time to listen.
Continues...
Excerpted from "Voice of Reason: Speaking to the Great and Good Spirit of Revolution of Mind" by Bryant McGill. Copyright © 2012 by Bryant McGill. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpts are provided solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.