Take your broken heart and make it into art

Last night Meryl Streep said “take your broken heart make it into art” she was quoting her dear departed friend Carrie Fisher. Unfortunately, those words have fallen in the shadows of her Trump comments, but they are actually the answer to this new wave of healing that's needed in our culture.

I love what Carrie said, but the second part of that sentence can be filled in and uniquely aligned to our abilities, our talents and our resources. It could say for you, take your broken heart and teach others. Take your broken heart, and serve others. Take your broken heart and make a business out of it. Take your broken heart and..... you fill in the blank. The point is to take a tragedy and use it in a productive way that will positively impact the lives of others.

Sadly, similarly to the journalists that Meryl Streep referenced, we are not reporting the truth - about ourselves. We are not being honest about pain we are feeling, and if we don't start telling the truth it will continue to perpetuate fear and even unhealthy behavior. In her speech, Merrill also said that "disrespect invites disrespect, and violence incites violence." She's right - and that also goes for pain, untreated or neglected pain will stimulate more pain.

So let's use our broken hearts to make art, let's use our broken hearts to help others, let's use our broken hearts to start a movement of healing that is critical right now in our world.

Watch her speech here.

(written January 9, 2017)