For anyone who hasn't seen Beyonce's new video, Lemonade, released on TIDAL and as an HBO special, you have to watch - and trust when I say, it's not about #Lemonade. Beyonce easily delivers an uncomfortable, painful, remarkable, iconic, daring, deeply metaphorical, poetic special that covers a myriad of themes - infidelity in relationships; the strength of the black woman and all women, and the artistry and unapologetic expression of individuality. Beyonce's release gives us a rare glimpse into her soul and left me in deep thought. You'll come away with a few revelations too.
The Devastation of Infidelity. There are few things more painful than betrayal. "Are you cheating on me?" Beyonce asked. For anyone who's ever been betrayed, few other realizations arouse the same hurt and self-doubt. In giving yourself to another, you receive them in your mind, heart, body and soul. Cheating is the ultimate betrayal, making you doubt every word, kiss, touch, every gesture of love given and received. The truth is that it's not about you. Betrayal is about the lack of integrity in another person, the inability to ask for what they want; or the lack of bravery in saying they would rather not be in the relationship. It's about their lack of self-esteem, feeding their ego, narcissism, greed or lack of knowledge of self - not about you.
We are United by our Humanness. Watching Beyonce's videos is to be wholly sucked into her world. I felt her anger over infidelity, I felt her love for her daughter, I felt her loyalty to her hometown of New Orleans, and I felt her bond with her "sisters." I found myself forgetting her celebrity, forgetting I don't know her... forgetting our difference in socio-economic status or lifestyle. She had me doing what all we humans do - feeling. It occurred to me that no matter what our race, color, gender, religion, sex or age, we are united by our humanness, which makes us more alike than any other thing that makes us different.
Our Ability to be Brave and Honor our Individuality is Our Greatest Gift to the World. It's a thing to be celebrated that each of us is different. As I watched Beyonce perform probably the most revealing, bold, honest, raw work of artistry of her lifetime, for the first time, I really saw her in all her astonishing, beautiful glory - without the mask of being "Beyonce", I saw her hunger for life, I saw her stretch herself, as the real Queen B stepped out for this show. This colossally vulnerable view of her soul, is her true beauty; reminding us that we all need to step out in our individual glory. This day, this time - this is the one time you will be you. Our unique offerings were given to us, so that we could contribute to the evolution of the world in a way that only we can, through our ideologies, creations, words and intellect. Even through our scars, our stars shine and illuminate our world.
We Are Both Alone and Not Alone in Life. That's the dichotomous truth. When you watch another human being, especially a public persona, like Beyonce evolve - through youth, marriage, childbirth and into womanhood, you see the drive and seeking that we all do - for that something to fulfill us. We look to feel less separate through relationships, hobbies, food, alcohol, television, the Internet, social media, careers and other addictions, but at the end of the day, we are alone in our journey. You see, it is in that aloneness that we realize we are always connected with a Higher Power. It is in that feeling alone that lets us recognize the same in others, and seek to understand and to connect. At the end of the day, careers change, spouses come and go, and children grow up and leave, so what you need to know is that your fulfillment must come from within.
We Always Rise. Through the 11 scenes in Bey's video, we see a woman, no longer a girl, going through stages - denial, anger, apathy and hope. What came across was this - knock us down and the bad b$itch in us always rises up. Bey's ferocity shows in every scene, and brings to mind the female strength of generations, the hurts of history, that #blacklivesmatter, the losses, betrayals, the scars, the drunkenness of love, the magic, but mostly the grace of redemption and the will to rise after life throws us curveballs.
Even though my first thought after watching Bey's special was, "JayZ better find somewhere else to lay his head at night, and ramp up security," the depth of Beyonce's beautifully raw expression gave me so much more to think about; but... if your girl's got a bat in her hand or lit the house on fire, boy, bye... and run!