Trauma and Meaning Through Morrison's Eyes — A Perspective by Michaela Ruth❤✐ᝰ.ᐟ

"Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another." — Tony Morrison, Beloved.

TONI MORRISON ON TRAUMA, SURVIVAL, AND FINDING MEANING✿

❀APRIL 29, 2025❀

My Journal Entry from March 23, 2025🌱🧩𔓘⋆˙⟡

I heard about Toni. She reminds me of Ms. Muir. When she talked about how do you survive life, I liked when there was the question of how to survive whole in a world where we are all victims of something. I would say that you don't survive really. Everything you go through in the world adds to who you are as a human. It becomes a part of you. Those experiences then become your whole being. It shapes who you are. It etches in your brain. You don't survive, you learn and you grow from it. Like a rose coming through concrete. Toni said we are already born. We are going to die. What are you going to do in between that. You live. You have to live. Don't try to be perfect, just live. Each day is a chance to start over. Survival. Blooming. Endurance. Change how you see your pain. Paint doesn't make you weak, crying doesn't make you weak, it means you have strength. You are the one who defines your story. You decide what you choose to give your attention to. The good, the bad, the evil, the brave. You give your pain a costume. You are the one who lets your pain bother you and get your attention.

THE ROSE THAT GREW FROM CONCERTE 🥀