By Elizabeth Stone

One article I read a year ago in Ode magazine, written by and for optimistic intellectuals, claims that motivation is based on fear while inspiration is based on love.

What I am going to say here is going to be touchy-feely. Yes, I’m going to get all mushy and corny here. It’s time.

We need love.

I admit, the world can be a depressing place. Even so, every cloud has a silver lining. So I am inspired to perspire in order to inspire you. Here are selected examples (mostly from Ode) that show the positive power of love:

• Chug Along and Give Away: A British think tank has proposed establishing charity bars, where profits from food and drinks will be distributed to support good causes. According to Ode, “…pubs should be at the heart of communities rather than just a place to get drunk.”
• Forgive and Prosper: Bill Clinton wrote a piece on forgiveness as a winning strategy, citing Mandela Nelson as an example. Clinton wrote, “Mandela made a grand, elegant, dignified exit from prison and it was very, very powerful for the world to see. But as I watched him walking down that dusty road, I wondered whether he was thinking about the last 27 years, whether he was angry all over again.” Mandela responded, “When I felt that anger well up inside of me, I realized that if I hated them after I got outside that gate, then they would still have me…I wanted to be free so I let it go.” Mandela went off to become a global heroic symbol and the President of the Republic of South Africa.
• Going Green by Getting Dirty: Statistics from the 2006 DC Green Festival at which I volunteered two weekends ago:

• 94% resource recovery: only 6% of our trash went into landfills. (I was one of the garbage-handling volunteers. It was eloquently called the “Green Team.”)
• 25,000 people attended, which is 33% more than last year.
• 514 bicycles were parked at the bike valet.

These are a few sources of inspiration. Who knows if that’ll move you to be the next Charity Bar Owner, Mandela, or Eco Superhero.

But for today, let’s focus on Mandela. He’s a good example of what we can aspire to be in our own little ways. Here is this guy who was imprisoned for a good chunk of time. Got divorced twice. Not a perfect human being by any means. But Mandela, driven with a clear vision for a better South Africa, didn’t stay behind and mope around.

I can say the same for us. We can sit back and say our work is done and decide we deserve a rest. Or, we can move forward as a thriving community, as a living essence of managing many layers of conflict. I don’t have the roadmap, but I have the moral compass to find my way.

I know many of you have that also. I urge you to use it. Put aside all egos and fears and talk among yourselves. Be solution-seekers, not flame-throwers. Be open-minded and refrain from passing judgments and placing assumptions on others. Be proactive and determine your reactions before you act upon them. Most important, be courageous and loving, and love will lead to healing.

A section from Ode:

“Fear places a wedge in our relationships and distracts us from our daily tasks. It diminishes our effectiveness in the world and the contributions we make as humans. Our basic primal desire is to love and be loved; the second is to inspire and be inspired…when we are frightened we cannot lift up anyone else, because frightened people are not inspiring people and when we are frightening, we are not inspiring.”

Over a very long period of time, we have seen a lot of oppression and anger escalating in our community. That’s not normal. It’s consciousness-raising to apply critical thinking in what’s happening around us. As a community, we have a responsibility to be accountable for those actions and words that hurt others. Abdicating that responsibility garners no respect. Absolutely none.

Even though the masses have spoken and the torch they’re carrying is a symbol of bittersweet victory, the future remains uncertain and unwritten. There are no victors in this conflict. But, like Mandela, we now have this opportunity and vision for a better deaf America.

It is easier to stay behind, to hide, and to look the other way. I know I would rather run in the other direction than to endure this kind of transition hell. And yet, I am stubborn. I’m hopelessly in love with this community. It is because of this that I am inspired to see us take this chance to rebuild our future, to recreate what it means to be deaf Americans. We cannot go back to what we used to be. We are forever changed. We have this tremendous responsibility and rare opportunity to ascend ourselves from what we were to what we can become.

One last thought from our friend Ode: “…motivation is a relationship between personalities, while inspiration is a relationship between souls.” See, love comes from being open and honest. It is also being brave to be ridiculed, to be criticized, and to be judged. There’s freedom in doing your own thing and doing it right. Look within yourselves and decide, “Am I motivated to do this? Or am I inspired to make a difference?” Think of your comment before you click that Enter key. Think of your action before you act.

It’s time to love.

Elizabeth Stone, a San Diego native and once-a-year novice surfer, resides in Capitol Hill and is a proud ZipCar user. Happily endorses Metro as the main mode of transportation around the city. Has a serious French fry addiction but has enough willpower to eat them sparingly. Currently works as a development officer at Gallaudet University. Alma maters are the Rochester Institute of Technology with Bachelors in Social Work and American University with Masters in Public Administration.