About Me

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I am a woman who is trying to continue to learn how to be a better person. The purpose of this blog is to help me to articulate my personal response to the world. This blog will allow for reflection, insight, and authentic understanding.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Crossing the Lines of Life...

A couple of years ago- about 6- I began a long and heated, passionate affair with the music of Mr. Johnny Cash. There is something very primal and very affecting about his lyrics, his voice and his music. The listener has the notion that we are glimpsing the tortured soul of this fantastic musician. His song, "Walk the Line" is singing constantly in my ears and in my soul these days.

I am getting ready in this next week to attend the 19th annual peace vigil to close the School of the Americas housed in Fort Benning, Georgia. My trip there will be a bit of a climax in the sense that I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to go until about three weeks ago. Through the gifts and generosity of others, I am able to go and participate in this action. I am looking forward to the opportunity to gather in prayer, and civil engagement.

There is the issue of “crossing the line” once I am there. I do not anticipate doing this at this point in my life. The punishment for doing this action is to be arrested (which I have no problem with) face up to 6 months in jail, and pay a fine up to $5000.00. What I find fascinating about this movement, is that there is real encouragement of discernment for those who wish to consider this action. There are lawyers on site to speak with those people who wish to consider such an action. I was watching movies about these actions in the last 19 years, and saw families who participated in these actions together- I found such commitment to be wonderful!

How does this have anything to do with me? The people that are targeted by the graduates of the SOA once they are back in their own countries are labor organizers, religious men and women and those who speak out on behalf of the poor. The senseless killing that happens in these countries is striking to me. For more information see www.soaw.org also, for those who would be concerned about a biased opinion, I would encourage you to find other sources that would present another side of the discussion.

I ask for continued prayers, and pray-ers to remember those who will be at Georgia seeking peace. I find that as life goes on, there are all kinds of lines that we are to cross. We are surrounded by lines that require a yes or nor answer- not so much a both/and approach to life, but a bit more polarizing.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

The Reality of Daily Living:

So, it has been some time since my last post. There have been several new things springing up in my day-to-day existence that I would love to share. As most people know we as a country elected a new president- Mr. Barack Obama. Mr. Obama will be our 44th president, and first African-American. I never really thought too much about how much race played into life in America. I suppose that fits into the reality of being white in America. After my summer in Phoenix it is something that I have not really stopped thinking about. My relationship with my identity as a white woman is not something I have spent much time thinking about in the past. Today, there seems to be much to consider and think about.

Another aspect of my life has found some momentum again. In the middle of October I was asked to participate in a rally back in Phoenix, but couldn’t go. The discernment that went with the decision was incredibly intense. I came to some realizations as a result. I recognize my need to be in deliberate solidarity with others in the world. I also recognize my need to participate in rallies or peace vigils. Participation in such events was not commonplace in my upbringing, but I have decided to make it a necessary reality in my adult life. I will be attending the 19th Annual Peace Vigil at the School of Americas in Fort Benning, Ga. I am very excited about attending this vigil. I think it will also prove to be a fruitful experience.

While these two aspects of my current life are bursting with reflection and attention, my studies have been a bit different. It is interesting to be in the last year of my studies and to feel an apathy that has not been a part of the work EVER! (at least since I began this program). I guess this just means that it is a good thing that I am not going to be a student for much longer. This is not to say that I will never set foot in a classroom again as a student, but that I am ready for the break that will come after this latest taste of academia.