The Answer to Everything
Too
often, we forget that we and our problems are both infinitesimally small. Conversely,
we are pieces of an amazing and vast Universe.
I
set out on a quest to discover such “pieces” from around the globe that not
only challenge what most people think they know but also set new tides of
change around them. This isn’t just about your, their or my life. It’s about
everyone’s lives, all being of equal importance. The fact that so many parts of
this world are still influenced, or rather blinded, by absurd stereotypes against
our own kind is very demeaning. So, I decided to work out a project with an
intention to break this string of wrong traditional beliefs by bringing the
truth to you in first-hand.
Today
I want you to meet someone very special. Their name is Izzi Rojas (preferred pronoun : they/them). They are a
non-binary actor and film-maker from Los Angeles, California. In case you
didn’t know them already, they played the character Lola Porecca in the YouTube series ‘Crown Lake’. They
have also been working on some seriously cool projects like 'When Men Were Men' and 'To
Be a Man'. Izzi
is the one of the kindest and coolest people you could ever meet. They have a pursuit
of living that truly inspired me to the core and they have something BIG to tell
you too! Here's what they have to say:
——♾——
To label myself- I am an atheist, a realist and a human. I
believe that the only God anyone should praise should be Our Sun. I understand
that we must give life “meaning” because we are so disconnected from our
original, simple purpose; to live. I am not a “woman,” or “man,” I am a brain
controlling a skeleton inside of a protective layer of flesh- I am a human.
For without our Sun we would not be here. On a large scale-
our planet would not even be here. Our Sun’s gravitational pull allows Earth to
be positioned precisely far and close
enough to create the life that we evolved from; thus creating us. Our
atmosphere is so fragile; it is a gift it exists! And we are all gifts walking.
Even if you don’t believe in evolution one must believe that the sunlight grows
our crops. No God can sprout your food in a dark box. And to further this point
Our Sun not only provides us with food but fresh water, medicine and energy as
well- everything we need to thrive on Earth. Finishing this point I want to
highlight that I find it to be a great tragedy of humankind to allow religion
to tear us apart. We are all reliant on the same source- yet through war and
genocides humans have allowed religion to be at the center of their compassion
for others. Why instead are we not taught to have an underlying love for each
and every fellow human? We are gifts after all, no one better than the last or
the next.
As humans are so quick to shove away the unknown and the
unfamiliar, many of us desperately try to figure out their “life purpose” or
the “meaning of life.” Some question, “does life even have a meaning?” Many
throughout humankind allowed these questions to lead them to religion- an
answer that doesn’t quite make sense but is better than facing the truth. My
answer, my truth, is no- there is no meaning. We beat out tens of other sperms
to be the foetus that grew inside of our birth giver. Our life is not divinely
predestined for us and I don’t believe that “everything happens for a reason”.
Now I don’t want you to think that I am a pessimist for I am not. I do not
believe that “life has no meaning so we must not even try to create meaning,”
quite the contrary. As a realist I understand we are atoms held together by the
gravity that Our Sun imposed on the Earth. We are animals given the gift of
consciousness with no given purpose other than to enjoy this consciousness
while we have it. A true gift! I believe that life has no meaning therefore we
must create meaning and there are so many glorious ways in which we are able to
do just that. Creating art from nothing through song and dance or from the
gifts that Earth gives. Touching another human mentally and physically,
exploring the world from someone else’s view. Tending to the Earth to create
sustenance and beauty. We are free from any path and meaning. Is there anything
more beautiful?
I do think it’s worthy to reiterate a crucial point the
world is waking up to, that you, my friend, seemingly understand well enough
already though. The point being gender and any expectations of what comes along
with gender are not “real”. I use quotes around “real” because for many gender
non-conforming people their gender is very real even if they do not ascribe to the concept
of gender most others understand. So I elaborate that while one's gender is
completely valid and real in whatever form they wish to bring it to life; the
gender binary is neither real nor based on sexual organs. This being said, I am
often targeting cis people as my audience when I say “gender isn’t real,”
because those humans are the ones that so desperately still cling onto their
prescribed notions of themselves. Mostly cis humans cannot fathom letting go of
the ideas that bind them to “man” or “woman”. There are simply not just men and
women on this planet soaring through space-time. There simply never were just
men and women on this planet. There are many reasons why gender was so enforced
throughout human history and again I believe religion plays a large part in
those reasons. Now though, gender is completely interlinked with employment,
marketing, consumption and so much more that I am unsure of when the world will
free itself from its constraints.
“When the power of love is greater than the love of power, the world will know peace.”——♾——
These
courageous words were some of the life philosophies Izzi wanted to share with
us. I would suggest you to read it once again because every word holds a deep and beautiful meaning. If you feel a difference within you
(however big or small) after reaching this point, I will consider my mission
accomplished. Speaking of which, this is not over yet! This is the best part:
Harshita : Who or what has been your
greatest inspiration of all time?
Izzi : Injustice has
so far been the greatest inspiration to me. I grew up acutely aware of the suffering
we humans endure throughout a lifetime. Therefore the unnecessary suffering one human imposes on another through acts of
injustice have always driven me to action.
Racial,
religious, economic and ecological injustices are so rampant in our world. I am
so lucky to not fall victim to (some of) these injustices regularly; how could
it not then be my duty to fight for justice for my fellow humans that do? For
as long as I live I will respond to that inspiration.
Harshita : What would you consider as
the biggest milestone of your life?
Izzi : Moving to Los Angeles very much
reminded me of who I am. Since a young age I was trying to be someone else. I
moved to California from New Jersey after high-school because I wanted to be an
actor. Yet I moved to a city an hour north of Los Angeles and continued to love
who and present how others thought I should. It wasn’t until I finally made it
to Los Angeles, finally acting professionally, that I started to find myself
again - my queer, non-binary, spiritual self.
Harshita : What is your opinion on the
current position of the world in terms of gender-based problems? What are the
major changes you’d like to see in the society?
Izzi : The world is moving in the right
direction; if it wasn’t for the platform non-binary people and trans folk
openly have on social media I would still not understand who I am or how I identify.
Let me be clear though- we are moving too slowly. I would like to see rapid
change. Gender non-conforming people have spent nearly all of human history
being invalidated. So I believe there should be rapid and meaningful
reparations and response supporting our community, similar to the women’s
movements all around the world yet much more inclusive.
To the question on
how I would like to see the world’s position change, I would really love to see
the abolishment of the sexualized body. Allowing assigned-female-at-birth
bodies to be seen as commodities to be owned and sexualized is one major thing
that stops humans outside of the trans community from understanding trans and
non-binary identities. Their prejudice is too strong when believing they are
“allowed” to see one type of body in a sexual way. They believe they are
therefore “allowed” to police those bodies through a certain lens.
That needs to change.
Harshita : How would you explain
“love”?
Izzi : I would explain “love” as true self
love. I believe that there is only one “true love” in each of our lives;
ourselves. No one has the capacity to love us as fully as we are able to love ourselves.
That is not to say that you cannot find real, true love in a partnership with
someone else. It is to say that only when we are able to feel true self love
are we able to feel and receive real, true love for/from someone else. Most
love we see examples of is selfish
love - carried out with jealousy, deceit, fighting off changes. Love of another
should be unselfish; you love them without yourself in their life. Therefore
there is no place for jealousy, only trust and room to grow. I believe that
this is only possible when we feel completely at home while alone, in love with
ourselves.
So I will finish by
saying that “love” is not easy to come by, it does require hard work and commitment.
I struggle with having true love for myself (and therefore my loved ones) every
single day. As I believe everyone does. Yet I am recharged daily with the
knowledge that my truest love is always with me and never fleeting. I am with
me for as long as I am.
Harshita : What is your message to the
world?
Izzi : My message to the world is do not live
in ignorance. If knowledge is power then ignorance is weakness. Do not allow
others to take away your will by remaining ignorant to your power. You can do
and be who and however you feel.
Furthermore,
ignorance begets injustice and stagnates growth. We mustn’t remain ignorant to
that which does not affect us or to that which will free or advance us.
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