the courage not to stand alone

As we enjoy our holidays and the warmth of our beds and hot soup, let’s not forget those who do not share in our abundance.  Do you have the courage not to let them stand alone?

http://www.upworthy.com/why-you-wont-look-away-so-quickly-next-time-youre-walking-down-the-street?c=fea

time for equality

“Time, is on our side, yes it is.”  You know the song.  But is time really on our side?  Many times it seems that time is working against us, like a permanent nemesis.  What if we could end the war and make peace with time?

Today I chatted with a few fellow students/artists about how I feel about the lack of time I have to really do what I want – being pulled in so many different directions.  There’s not time to be inspired or work on your craft.  Later I was reminded of those who don’t have time to think about anything other than survival.  All of their time, energy and resources go toward obtaining basic needs.  That’s not meant to diminish my or anyone else’s frustrations, but it does bring up another few points.

Many of us go through various “seasons of life.”  Times which we may choose to give up the pursuit of certain things in order to invest in something else more important to us during that specific time.   During these times it is important to maintain a healthy perspective on time.  We can view time as something that will always be there for us, giving freedom to embrace each moment until we are ready to journey into that next season of life.  On the other hand, we can perceive time as slipping through our fingers as we eagerly gaze into the future, anxious to exit our current season of life and jump ship into a boat headed on a different course.  Either way, time continues to march forward: dragging or politely accompanying us into the future.

The truth is that time is not a sure thing?  So why is there not more chaos in the world?  How are we spending our unknown amount of time on this planet?  Do we really have a choice in how we use our time?  Are we really in control?  What would it be like if we didn’t have to expend so much of it on survival – just earning a paycheck?  Perhaps we would be able to contribute to the human race in unimaginable ways?  Or for some, the pursuit of money might be the most worthy use of time?  Time will always need to be dedicated to maintaining a healthy, clean and safe environment in which to live, but does it have to look like what we have now?

When we think of equality we don’t always consider time.  Time is precious, right?  So it becomes a valuable commodity.  We give up time to get time.  We sacrifice years waiting for “time” – retirement.  Ironically, time is money.  But what about those who can’t even afford a decent night’s rest because of the demands of survival – perhaps working two or three jobs just to get by?  Who and how are we spending time in order to make time available to everyone?  When will it be the right time for equality?

voluntary blindness

Is there any escape from the world?  Is there a place that one can go which is untouched by poverty, violence or greed?  Many people go through their lives running away from these things, believing that they don’t exist where they live.  The truth is that we just don’t want to see it – it’s a form of voluntary blindness.

My grandmother is one of my heroes.  She has lived in the same town all of her life.  Grew up in the same house and lived there when she had a family of her own.  She has seen so many changes over the eighty years she’s lived in the small city, one of which is the effect of poverty.  In a recent conversation she told me that she always thought homelessness only occurred in the big cities, but now it is in her town as well.  The other shock was that among them were women in children.  For my grandmother, this problem only became part of her personal world when her church began offering itself as a shelter and food kitchen.

And that is how reality hits home – when it hits home.  Sure one can read about it in the newspaper, online and hear about it on the radio and shake their heads in dismay.  But until one is confronted by it in a personal way, it is seemingly easy to ignore.  Or perhaps it is not ignored, but many feel that the issues are too big to do anything about it.  The first step is awareness.

We live in a fast paced world where society has taught us to focus on #1 -survival of the fittest.  It can be difficult to relate to those in different circumstances or circles than oneself.  And for many, as long as these issues do not affect their own lives, they are content to continue in ignorance – until it lands on their doorstep.

Society dehumanizes their victims with general labels of “the homeless,” “working class poor,” “troubled youth” – but until you put a face with the name, all of the statistics don’t reach the heart of the matter.  What is the root of this problem?  What is causing people to arrive in such desperate circumstances?  How can we as a society not take responsibility of our own kind?  How many more people must come to share the same fate before we look beyond our small worlds and see each other as human beings?

I don’t know the answer, but I can see enough to know that our current system isn’t working.