Why You Must Sit at The Table

‘If you’re not sitting at the table, you’re part of the menu.’
First of all, let’s try to think of what it means to ‘be sitting at the table’.
When you sit at a table, you partake in the interaction happening there. Think of a group of people having a meal, for instance. They talk about the human and the divine. They all choose what to eat and drink. They have a say in what happens. When they talk about other people, these people become ‘part of the menu’ because they are not there to have a say, so in a certain way they are ‘a part of the menu’. They are objects to speculate about, like the hors d’oeuvres or the roast. You may think this is just gossip, but just exactly what is gossip? It is considering that other people are not valuable enough to be considered worthy of respect. Gossip strips people of their humanity and their value. It turns them into objects to judge and dismiss.
In a wider, more political sense, not being offered a place at the table means your interests are not going to be discussed and furthermore you can be used as a pawn and have your life and aspirations, your dreams and hopes dismantled.
That is what is happening on a worldwide scale. The issues that most of Humanity would consider basic and of utmost importance, such as health, poverty, justice, are diligently sidetracked and the population distracted with lesser issues and entertainments to keep them from questioning events and reasons.
I am persuaded that this derives from the hunting tactics used by wild animals. If you’re not in the hunting expedition, you’re likely going to be the prey.
What I conclude is that you should make yourself heard if it’s important to you. Don’t allow anyone to dictate your life, its meaning or its significance to you. You are the Number One World Expert on Your Life. No one can live it for you.
Sit at the table of your life with the confidence that you own it. Leave the haters, the naysayers and the speculators out. Invite only those who support and love you to share in it.
(The quote is not mine. I heard it from a lady called Glennon Doyle Melton, author of a couple of best sellers, Love Warrior and Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life. She also has a blog called Momastery in which she explains what it is like living a life that is full of joy and mess and imperfections.)