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Marguerite Mariama, © copyright 2024
Action. Hmm. What is that? Well, I see it as a forward motion to achieve an aim or goal. As Spirits having a human experience, glorious and unique expressions of the Divine Source, it is our privilege and honor to serve humankind with gifts we brought in this incarnation. Constantly and consistently advancing, evolving, deepening, and elevating, we also get to embrace life as a journey to enjoy the fruits of the existing physical reality. The light of God within is urging us forward into action, reimagining and bringing into existence a new world that embraces the sacredness of our shared humanity and its relationship to Divine Energy. Freedom, Joy, and Love await.
But first. Hurdling the obstacles that often preclude this progression, this evolution often induces Fear. Oh, and we all have tangled with that F-word! Fear manifests as scarcity, anxiety, toxic competition, hate, envy, jealousy, violence, bigotry, racism, sexism, inhibitions, phobias of all sorts, and so on. It can be a ferocious limiter of achieving the ultimate objective, the reason we’re here as Spirit energy: to bring light and love into this human incarnation and to have fun doing it. Here’s what I know: Heaven can be experienced here on earth. Look around and see others who seem to be enjoying its bounties. They seem happy, prosperous, and joyful as they relish the fruits of this earthly realm. Why not you or me? Perhaps toxic beliefs are at play.
For many, one of those toxic beliefs is age. Our conditioned beliefs of what aging is can often be a factor that stymies an intrinsic version of our life possibilities. For some, aging is externally defined by extrinsic messages from advertisers, popular culture, books read, friends, and even family. Aging is often viewed as a period of retiring from an active life and devolving into one that is unproductive, stagnant, sedentary, and sickly. I vehemently beg to differ.
As Spiritual beings who emerged from Divine essence, there are no limitations. We are here to serve the emerging paradigm, not the old one filled with historical toxins that suggest otherwise. As my friend, actor Leah Finnie, used to say in the commercial for the high-protein drink Boost, “Age is just a number, and mine is unlisted.” How about yours? Are you aging (not to be confused with getting older, which is inevitable) because you think you have to? We all get older, but aging is another thing altogether.
Further, what is the alternative? Ahh, yes. Think about it. Those who make fun of older people need a wake-up call, as we have likely been their age, but they have not been ours.
Many view aging as an implication for brokenness. In some circles, the term “broke down” is used. Convinced that it has to be difficult and the end of life, they are demured from self-care and self-growth, settling into inertia that confirms that belief—a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our bodies are designed to move. Whether it’s walking, dancing, swimming, playing pickleball or tennis, basketball, or anything else that gets the heart rate pumping, it is essential that we “move it or lose it.”
As I sit here typing this article, my lower back sings a song of light pain. It knows that the sedentary life I have been living for the past month goes against the very essence of what I am writing. The action I must take is clear. And I beseech my body to give me a few more weeks to complete the three major writing projects I am committed to. However, I also know another action needs to be taken: I must purchase a standing desk so my back and I can get along better during the next few weeks. But I digress.
Given how much we’ve experienced and learned, getting older can be a beautiful thing. When applied to today’s circumstances, those life lessons are invaluable as we older adults are needed to provide foundational guidance to younger folks who desire to learn what we know. It’s called the momentum of memory. It’s what our ancestors passed on to us in direct and indirect ways. Their ways of knowing, especially those of us with the honor of having had grandparents collaborate in our upbringing, were essential to the “good sense” they instilled in us.
Toxic mental debris seduces us into believing in self-limitations; many of us have forgotten or discounted those ways of knowing. Many thoughts that govern and inhibit our mission on planet Earth as Spirit beings were not intended to contract ourselves, no matter our earthly chronological age. Our grandparents did not have the money we are privy to, but most assuredly, they wanted us to succeed beyond their wildest imaginings. And, since we chose to be here at this moment in time to expand and increase into the broadness of God-given possibilities beyond this human form, we owe it to their sacrifices to get up and get started creating the next chapter of our lives. It is never too late to work on ourselves.
Marguerite Mariama is an Arts Envoy with the United States Department of State (DOS). In this role, she produces, writes, curates, and performs in customized international programs that tell the American story through the lens of the African American aesthetic experience. As a “cultural ambassador,” she proudly follows in the footsteps of early Black pioneers in this role including Jazz greats Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and her mentor the legendary dance icon, Katherine Dunham.
During October of 2023, Dr. Mariama produced a ten-day tour for the country of Moldova titled: OurStories in the Music: Pioneering Jazz Voices Master Workshops. A nine-minute video overview is available on her website: (MARGUERITE MARIAMA | Marguerite Mariama). During 2022, Dr. Mariama was invited by ECA to produce another event for Mission Ecuador from her signature OurStories in the Music series, titled, OurStories in the Music: Jazz and Democracy. Similarly, during the second commemoration of the Juneteenth Holiday (2022), Marguerite produced an interactive event for U.S. State Department Bureaus that included International Organization Affairs (IO); Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) – and the United States Mission to the United Nations. She was honored with a rousing introduction from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.