Is "It" In You?

"Is it in you?" is a powerful interrogative. Something is in you; the better question is "[what] is it in you?" Or more pointedly, "what is in you?" Deep within our hearts, our souls, are things we have collected throughout the course of life. And many of the things we carry within us are things we'd rather leave buried: images we have seen, words that have broken and discouraged us, hurt we have stored, mounting aggravation and discontentment, unfulfilled and unresolved relational conflict, tension from the work week. In this sense, we are all "mixed" drinks, waiting to be stirred, shaken, and poured out.

Recently, I have recognized that some of my own frustration is rooted in what is in me, what I see mirrored in, reflected from, and cultivated in my friends. "It is just them; it's not me," I console myself. If I stop and think about it, that is not an honest statement at all. We like ourselves too much, and quickly seat ourselves with those we identify most with. And criticize others for doing the very same thing. Someone getting on your nerves? Is it in you? Something about "someone else" rub you the wrong way. Is it in you? As much as we talk about diversity, we often fall short in our own localized network. Apples may not fall far from the tree, but they do not get up and walk to congregate with other fruits on their own. What if what we see is really who we are? What if those are parts of us we just don't like and refuse to confront are calling us to change? In the words of a famous song, "who do we think we are?"

Back in the day, Gatorade™ used to run the slogan, "Is it in you?" I remember advertisements flashing of athletes attempting the impossible, preparing to overcome each challenge with the "it" factor. There was this unnamed "it" the commercials repeatedly asked the viewer to look inside of themselves for through the lens of the triumphant athlete on-screen. There was a strong call to introspect and in some senses we have lost this imperative. Whatever your "it" is, is it in you?

Photo by Whitney Wright on Unsplash