Hello Karla, Cheng, Malcolm, Gilbert, Sara and Francis--
As promised, this week's reading/reflection is on “Why India?”/ “Why Riverside? / Why Mexico?”
To start us off-- why this?
As you know, our annual celebration/fundraiser, “Making Space: Two Years with CLP” is on Saturday, December 4th from 6:30PM-8:30PM at Back to the Grind Coffee Shop in Downtown Riverside. As I'm sure Kat would attest, the most important thing to communicating an idea is the personal story behind that idea. For example-- why you are in CLP and why I am in CLP is different, and should be different. The personal always moves us in a deeper way. We need to be personal at “Making Space.”
And, as you know: CLP does not just collaborate with our brothers and sisters in one country-- we collaborate in all three. Sometimes this is forgotten when people hear we “work in India.” The immediate assumption is that we only work “somewhere else.” And there is a feeling of frustration and defensiveness-- “Why not HERE?” Why don't you work here?”
What does that question mean to us? First of all, where is that question coming from? Why is that person asking the question? What emotions are behind it? Then, what is our personal response? And where does that response come from? This analysis could bring out some ugly-beautiful stuff: from our own (underlying) feelings of superiority, power or entitlement (as challenged by Ivan Illich) or our guilt for the past and the present or our vision for transcendence and transformation or our hunger for connection.
So, the question for your first formal blog “post” / travel journal entry: [Why India? Why Riverside? Why Mexico?]
To help you us started or inspire some thought, some light reading/viewing/listening. Skim them all or pick a couple to read/watch more closely to get your own mind/heart going:
(1) My sermon/reflection on on the soul and global wholeness: http://bit.ly/soulandwholeness_swilson
(2) An LA Times article on poverty in Riverside (Oct 2010): http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/08/local/la-me-inland-empire-poverty-20101008
(3) Audio recording of MLK on Gandhi, NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99480326
(4) Video interview of Arundhati Roy, Indian activist on Obama, war and the Indian government: http://www.zcommunications.org/acclaimed-indian-author-arundhati-roy-on-obama-s-wars-poverty-and-india-s-maoist-rebels-by-arundhati-roy
(5) Music video, Indigo Girls “Shame on You”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKqUglOC3_8
These five links are for triggering our own ideas/thoughts-- they do not represent a formal “CLP” opinion on anything (I don't think we have formal opinions, just principles). Use these to get your ideas and curiosities going. Your blog response does not have to be exact or perfect or complete (whatever that means)-- it can be bullet points, some varied ideas. We will be working on this question for a long time. This is just the beginning. Kat has many resources on this one.
See you all, and your blog entries, on Tuesday night. And for some of you, see you in the next couple days as we get started on your projects.
Yeah!
Samantha
No comments:
Post a Comment