They seek fame and fortune. The latest rendition of the prophets of days gone by, spouting off about community and authenticity never even knowing what they are. They pontificate to the masses that will listen with the hopes of book sales and speaking engagements. At times they are brilliant at others ignorant and stupid. Their epiphany expected to be heard, embraced and emulated without question. Yet, late in the night they awake in fear just having seen the emptiness of the message. The sun rises and once again they squeeze into the uniforms of revolution, buttons straining to contain the girth. Damn it shrunk again!, they say without seeing the truth. Guess its time for a new uniform.

While they pontificate we wonder why we are listening to their drivel. The things they claim as unique and paradigm changing seem natural and even invisible to us, integral to who and what we are. Each prophet who speaks tells us things we already know. Why have we spent so much to listen to them anyway? Why the hell are they telling us how we should live in a world we built. They are like tourists who have decided to stay, never comfortable with their new reality. Most of the answers they give are shallow and impossible to implement, unless we have unlimited funds, willing servants and no family to neglect.

As we sit in the back and mutter sarcasms under our breath at every comment the prophets speak we become more cynical and more distant. Community and authenticity seem as drugs to this crew, one group producing the other consuming. Where is their new world, can someone please show us where we can find it. You see we seek, we need to be wanted, loved, embraced by someone, anyone. If you think differently you will never understand who and what we are. We defy category. We are old and young, educated and not, white and black, followers and doubters, and we know where we live and don’t need to be told what our homes look like any more, please. We try to learn and understand the transformation they have gone through but it seems alien and self-centered. We leave the latest gathering more confused and more disgusted than when we entered the temple. Our hope was to have a conversation. Yet, hundreds, maybe thousands are still trying to find the road that leads to this new world we already call home. There are no maps just guides.

So where is the hope, the future, the way through all this crap? The books continue to proliferate, the websites that list the same things as all the others, and the blogs, oh my god the blogs, finally community, right! Where is the person who wants to jump in the ditch with us? They send troops to rescue us. We pray they will never arrive. We understood from the beginning that this journey was hard and filled with failure and frustration. All we ask for is a few trusted ones to journey with us. We don’t need slogans or gatherings to be shown where we are going and how we should get there. We’re already there, damn it! Won’t someone please tell the prophets that we are the real thing and we are the ones who built the roads to where they are trying to go.

These roads are not super highways they are trails hard won out of the wilderness of the present age of comfort. We have built places to live that have room for others; we want to share them with anyone who is willing to journey with us. Yet, our living rooms are filled with people trying to redecorate our newly built homes. Why don’t they get it? You don’t have to be 18 to 35, white, well educated and cynical to live in this world. But, you must be willing to put away your agendas and your egos. The world we live in was once and is still coming, we need to keep constructing. Our lives are filled with pain and joy and we have had enough of this game that is being played. Tonight we are preparing a meal and everyone is invited to join in. All we ask is that you help us wash the dishes.