I (literally) woke up at 5 a.m. thinking: We don’t talk enough about what ‘woke’ really means. We are allowing the MAGA extremists to mischaracterize and malign the very essence of not only definitions, but what woke looks like in action. We are “woke” because we care not only about ourselves but about what happens to others. Woke = love.
Here are 10 reasons why we all should be proud to be “woke” and strive to become even moreso.
- Woke means you care about the well-being of all people — regardless of their race, religion, ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc. The human in me sees the human in you.
- Woke means that you do not believe that you are better than any other person and what you deserve, they deserve too.
- Woke means that you are caring, compassionate, and empathetic.
- Woke means that you see the world from an abundance, rather than a scarcity, mentality.
- Woke means that you learn about people who are different from you and value and respect those differences.
- Woke means you share what you have and what you know, rather than hoard it.
- Woke means that you not only care about the well-being of all people, but you take action when you see inequitable and/or inhumane treatment.
- Woke means you believe that what happens to the least of us affects all of us.
- Woke means that in addition to caring about the well-being of your fellow humans, you care about the fate of all living things. (Yes, that means the environment and the effects of climate change.)
- Woke means that you have a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love. These words are from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he shared his wisdom on how everybody could be great through serving others.
The bottom line is: “Woke” is about love — agape love. Agape is the highest form of love that is given, whether or not it’s returned. It’s love without any self-benefit. In the Buddhist tradition, it is the central foundation of loving kindness for all humankind. Mahatma Gandhi said that love should be the organizing principle of individual lives as well as the whole of society. He said, “Where there is love, there is life and where there is love, there is light.”
I don’t think many would argue that we need more love in the world today. There is way too much hate and violence being spewed by the far right and being acted upon by too many people, causing great harm to others. We see it every day in schools, sports events, political venues, and neighborhoods — attacks on innocent people who are merely trying to live their lives. We need more woke.
Won’t you join us in a “Why I Am Woke” campaign sharing your stories about how you use your wokeness to spread love and caring in the world. Use #WhyIAmWoke on social media and tag The Winters Group to join this movement.
About the Author
Mary-Frances Winters, founder and CEO of The Winters Group, Inc. is a master strategist with over 40 years experience in strategic planning, change management, diversity, organization development, training and facilitation, systems thinking and qualitative and quantitative research methods. She has extensive experience in working with senior leadership teams to drive organizational change. Described by clients as highly creative, collaborative, visionary and results oriented, she is a sought after keynote speaker and workshop leader.
I believe I was born a woke human being as I went through many hard times at home, at school, being treated badly only because I was short. I saw things happen that woke me up from the bad and dysfunctional behaviours I was shown. I don’t like hearing or seeing bad things happen to innocent people, of people being picked on, treated badly only for their looks, race, physical appearance and care that those being picked on deserve to be given dignity, respect, the same good things in life that any human being would have, and mostly be treated with respect. I’ve seen injustices throughout my life and be told and taught that they don’t deserve the goodness that all human beings should have. This needs to be stop. It angers me that people are still being treated badly only because of who they are. This world needs to wake up.