I am also a we

I walk in to get a new tattoo, and tell the artist what I want.
Artist: "Can you repeat that?"
Me: "I am also a we."
Artist: "That doesn't make sense. Can you write that down?"
Me: ::writes I am also a we::
Artist: "Oooookay"
Friend: "It looks pretty, but what does it mean? Why did you get that?"
Share on Twitter: 134 "likes" and 25 "retweets". Of course the Sense8's get it! ;)

The phrase "I am also a we" was spoken by Jaime Clayton's character, Nomi, in Sense8. This is her full pride speech:

"I've been thinking about my life and all of the mistakes that I've made. The ones that stay with me, the ones that I regret, are the ones that I made because of fear. For a long time, I was afraid to be who I am because I was taught by my parents that there's something wrong with someone like me. Something offensive, something you would avoid, maybe even pity. Something that you could never love. My mom, she's a fan of St. Thomas Aquinas. She calls pride a sin. And of all the venal and mortal sins, St. Thomas saw pride as the queen of the seven deadlies. He saw it as the ultimate gateway sin that would turn you quickly into a sinaholic. But hating isn't a sin on that list. Neither is shame. I was afraid of this parade because I wanted so badly to be a part of it. So today, I'm marching for that part of me that was once too afraid to march. And for all the people who can't march, the people living lives like I did...Today I march to remember that I'm not just a me, I'm also a we. And we march with pride. So go fuck yourself Aquinas."

For those who are not familiar with Sense8, I highly recommend it, but Nomi is referring to her struggles being transgender, and how her religious parents were not supportive and did not approve. For me personally, the phrase "I am also a we" has many different meanings to me.

1. I am also a we because we love Sense8. I LOVE the show. It is not just a show, it is now a culture full of loving and accepting people all over the world. I even have my own cluster, and even though only 2 of them actively participate in our little group, I am very grateful for them. One lives in Italy, the other in Argentina. I definitely would never have met them without the Sense8 Clustermaker. The show forces you to look through someone else's eyes. You see through the eyes of people of different races, colors, and sexual orientations. This type of unity, and support of those who have different struggles is very meaningful to me.

2. I am also a we because we are intuitives. I am part of a group of many people who have a special gift. I am also a part of a small group of inuitive investigators. We experience paranormal phenomenon, and try to understand it and use our gifts to help others whenever possible

3. I am also a we because we are a collective consciousness. Many enlightened people feel connected to all life that goes beyond our petty differences regarding all kinds of beliefs, opinions, backgrounds, race, religions, etc. WE are human.

4. I am also a we because we have strong beliefs that we try to turn into positive action whenever possible, even if that means just sharing articles about injustices that occur all over the world that some may want to turn a blind eye to, just like many people do.

5. I am also a we because we are part of a family, a group of friends, a cluster, and college associates.

6. I am also a we because we are artists. While I do not focus on creating enough, I am still a part of the community that creates art in various forms.

I got this tattoo to always remind myself that I'm not just a me, I'm also a we. While the "I" and "me" are important to an extent, the "we" part is more important because it reminds us that we are never really alone. We are all connected in a way, and I think a lot of people forget that.