Maya Angelou and Matters Expressly Related

Maya Angelou is one of the most inspirational minds of all time. She has held as prestigious positions as a right hand to Martin Luther King Jr. and an idol to the likes of success such as Oprah Winfrey. Her life is a series of events that molded a thought process that above all sees the beautiful potential of the world it inhabits. One of her beliefs was the prominence of dreams in creativity. She believed that one could learn everything they need to know about themselves or other people from their dreams. I think this is very much the truth. Our conscious mind blurs the feelings of its subconscious counterpart quite often in resolving decisions and making analyses. We focus on moments as opposed to situations, words as opposed to actions, favoring flattery over fallacy. I believe our dreams are a medium for interpretation of the thoughts and ideals too murky for our conscious minds to fully comprehend. Such dreams of my own ring true to this. The time that I fought a herd of zombies in a dream and the next day I got into a heated debate with a group of Republicans. On a more serious note, I have resolved conflicts and emotions based off what I’ve seen in my dreams. Call it superstition if you’d like but it at least makes life more interesting.

Maya also had several beliefs on interpretation, addressing perceptions, and relaying information. She said that, “there’s a world of difference between truth and fact.” We live in a society that attempts to make synonymous such words as these. What this quote means to me is rather simple; a fact is a statistics or a statement while the truth is something so much deeper. A fact about America is that we have a Capitalist society. A truth about America is that we have become greedy and selfish and any concept of social equality is dying faster than a bonfire in May. A fact is nigh meaningless while a truth has meaning. A fact is just there while a truth is a perception of facts I suppose. To me this is very important. Facts impact the truths and it is the truths that we react to.

Maya has also been quoted saying that writing is no easy task. This may come off as just short of comedy for some, but I do believe that there is a difficulty in the trade. Writing is the recording of thoughts and feeling and the forging of valiant heroes or cunning heroines. It is the configuration of worlds and fastening the strings on an omnipresent marionette. Every word we right provides another word to be interpreted by those we thrust it upon. Ideals and thought processes transcend anything we could put a hold on and that is exactly what writing is all about. We convey glimpses of worlds and sections of lifetimes. No author can cover every thought or every action in the life of a character, but by golly, we try.

Maya Angelou was pure in intention. She believed that people could be just as beautiful as they could be beautiful and that is exceedingly important. She remarks on being told that one is incapable learning halfway through their twenties. She did not believe in this and I most definitely do not. Change is the pinnacle of human achievement. Our ability to adapt and evolve in tune with the situation we are in is the calling card of our species. With this in mind I truly believe that the racist old man down the street has the ability to love a black man as a brother. I believe that the Politician you can’t believe people keep voting for can reform his sensitivities and be more considerate. I believe that the human race is the most spontaneous and curious species on this planet. I don’t care if you are 25 or 75, change is necessary for survival and preservation of love and understanding is necessary for happiness.