Who Are We?

[Guest]

.

[CelticHarpist]

"Show us thy Divine Light which is hidden in our souls that we may know and understand life better. Raise us above the Distinctions and Differences which divide men. Teach us thy Loving Forgivess." - Khatum (Sufi prayer)

[Jill]

Just because I remembered it to be compelling, I came back here early this morning and among other things,  (“re-”) watched the video, just above in this thread, of Jose Antonio Vargas telling his story.  Quite by chance, since I no longer read the local newspaper, a few minutes ago I came across a headline, when checking at Google News as I often do, that read, “State DOL cancels driver's license of ex-reporter in country illegally.”  


Not really thinking it was going to be talking about Vargas, but since just earlier, I’d had cause to think about his story, I clicked on the link and read beyond the headline.  I know that there is and that there will be a diversity of views, both here and elsewhere, about the rightness or wrongness of what the article contained, but for me, personally, both as a resident of the state of Washington and as a citizen of this country that I want to stand for all things good and hopeful, I was not pleased at all.


I originally put Jose Vargas’ video in this particular thread that I’d named, “Who Are We?” quite purposefully.  That’s a question (along with “Who Do We Purport to Be?” and “Who Do We Aspire to Be?”) that I think is worth our constantly asking ourselves whether it’s as members of this world forum, as citizens of our respective countries, or simply, as caring, striving, and hopefully, reflective and honest human beings.


Ha!  I just now came *that close* to inadvertently pasting the link for Isabella Rossellini's really wonderful Green Porno videos (which I wrote about in my last post here and just sent to my sister and brother) instead of the driver's license story I'd intended to include.  That would have been pretty funny if you had clicked on the link, above, thinking you were going to be reading about drivers' licenses and instead found yourself watching one of Isabella's videos replete with references to penises and vaginas and other such fun things.

[Jill]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j5b5ob4VCwFIG4b64a2tpvWIX2cw?docId=4e454a39df23415695d7e40843a3c6d1
 
Spend a moment with me in Fantasyland and imagine a world where there was no such concept as “them,” where everybody understood that every other human being was, always has been and only could be part of “us.”  

Wouldn’t that be something….

[Jill]

Who are we?  Who do we want to be?  Who might we have the capability (or the danger) of being?

Savage killing of Iraqi woman in California investigated as hate crime
Killer beat Shaima Alawadi to death in family home and left note that said: 'Go back to your own country. You're a terrorist.'
It was her 17 year old daughter who came home to find her mom, just lying there......

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Then, there was this, as different from the preceding as it could be.  I came across it early this morning when I was checking out different videos about the Buskaid Soweto Strings people we’re going to have the joy of getting to meet.  

I couldn’t help but be struck with the contrast of the different sides of America that are daily presented to all of us.  
Bias Alert: I love Michelle Obama.

Travels with the First Lady: Africa (South Africa & Botswana)


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Related to both of the above in a mind that keeps seeing connections, I finally was able to find a march that was to be taking place in Seattle this past weekend.  Since I’m leaving next Saturday for the better part of a month and am slightly overwhelmed by how much there still is to be done, I really didn’t have the time to go across the water and go to it.

But I needed to go.  I needed to go, especially after seeing that documentary I mentioned about the global anti-apartheid movement.  It was only AFTER people of all colors, hues, religions and geographical origins took the abuses that were being heaped upon the South African blacks, personally, it was only because they chose to stand together, and ultimately, to work together, that they were able to bring the system down.

So, it didn’t matter a whole lot if I had too much to do.  It was one of those, “If not now, when?” kind of deals.

And of all that happened that day, what stood out for me most was one of the “call and response” chants we did, one of them, in particular.  I’m talking about the one where the one of the organizers walking alongside us called out,  “I AM……..”  

And we were to sing back, “TRAY-VON  MAR-TIN!!!”  

I got as far as about the 2nd or 3rd syllable, and then, I choked.  I totally choked.  My eyes welled with tears as my mouth struggled to get the rest out.  I became overcome with all the associations, with my own and with so many other people’s hearts’ great yearnings, with all the sorrow and hope of it.  

In a flash, I saw the picture of cute kid, Trayvon, joy-filled as he stood with his family on some skiing venture up in the snow.  I felt his fear, his incredulity that this could actually be happening to him.  I felt his parents’ grief, their own disbelief that their boy had been ripped away from them.  I felt his girlfriend’s haunted last memories.  I even felt a little of George Zimmerman’s confusion, the pain I actually believe he surprised even himself (in his responsibility) for inflicting not only on Trayvon and Trayvon’s family but on his own family, not to mention on himself and countless others.

I thought to myself, yes, I am Trayvon.  We are all Trayvon.  We are all Trayvon’s parents and his girlfriend and all the people like them.  All the people who have suffered, before and who, tragically, will suffer after .  And we are all George Zimmerman and his family, too.  And we are all Shaima Alawadi.  And her daughter.  And her family.  I believe that.  Deeply.

And it went through my mind that until people actually start understanding and accepting that, until people start realizing that the time-celebrated dichotomy between “Us” and “Them” is not only a false dichotomy, but a pain-generating, grief-breeding, fear-resentment-and-hatred-inviting construct that keeps us divided, that keeps us hurting, there can be no end to this waste.  To this horrible horrible sad waste of lives, of possibilities, of a peace that has to be out there, somewhere.  

Somewhere.  

Waiting.
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EDIT: I’ve been hearing today, as I’m guessing that a number of you have also heard, that there have been a significant number of “leaks” today in the case, very possibly from someone connected with the Sanford police.   I’m not sure.  The implication, the message they’re intended to convey, was that Trayvon was not the pure-as-driven-snow choir boy depicted in the portraits of him that have been wallpapering the media stories.  

A person can’t help but wonder, and wonder with some great and I think, justifiable sadness, whether a further unstated but intended implication might not have been that if that information, conveniently disseminated without attribution, is true, then Trayvon Martin somehow “deserved” to be killed.   Or, as was suggested by that twitter-happy New Orleans policeman who was unable to suppress his delight, that Trayvon’s death was something to celebrate.  

Sometimes, it feels like a daily challenge trying to fend off the despair.  Don’t want to be able to even begin to imagine, if it feels that way for me, what it must actually feel like for people whose daily life experience this story represents.
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I'm going to wrap this all up on a significantly more positive if mostly unrelated note. 

By sheer chance, I only just now learned about the new Nelson Mandela digital archive that only this week became available online.  I haven’t and I won’t have time to really check it out anytime soon (not even to see if they might have an image of Mandela wearing a hoody), but it pleases me tremendously just to know that it’s there.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2012/mar/27/inside-nelson-mandela-digital-archive-in-pictures#/?picture=387931506&index=0
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/27/nelson-mandela-archive-digital-treasure?intcmp=239