Too Close. Too Far.
A large chunk of my life was spent playing in the blood red African soil. From tag (where it's called 'touches') to rugby, my childhood sweat and blood have mixed into the dirt, and it's deep, unconquerable human truths have in turn been abraded into me.
I've spent the ensuing years trying to figure out what that means -- I don't think I'll ever get it. But this quest seems entirely fitting as this generation enters a global identity crisis. When one product, one brand, one financial strategy has so much unreprecedented and unpredictable power for good or evil, we each need to wrestle with this. Where we can suddenly see in webcams the damage we inflict with bombs we are (almost) right back to fighting hand-to-hand. Soon the victims will have more personality than the combatants, perhaps that's as it should be. Can we not come to a solution in this to undermine war? Hatred? Mistrust? And then work together to fight poverty? Disease? Oppression?
I'm coming to a new awareness. I'm living into the reality of words I've said my whole life. Beautiful words about harmony, unity, peace. About being able to achieve any dream. They're sullied when you don't really mean them. When you scorn people that are trapped by their circumstances. Their powerlessness. Even their own decisions.
I wonder at people. We have the power to destroy the world several times over. I'm not just talking bombs. I'm talking about every product, every cleaning chemical, power generation, everything. And in comparison, what do we make that has the power to heal?
I tell you what. The first step toward healing is to learn how wounded you really are. Please take a look at this short film called Bloodline. It's shockingly and crushingly sad. This shows you a reality you already know -- now it just gives it a name and a face. What's your role in the world? Well that's your journey. That's your own quest. This is my invitation you to engage and participate. This isn't a call to a specific action. Just to action.
After you watch, feel free to pop back here and debrief...
I've spent the ensuing years trying to figure out what that means -- I don't think I'll ever get it. But this quest seems entirely fitting as this generation enters a global identity crisis. When one product, one brand, one financial strategy has so much unreprecedented and unpredictable power for good or evil, we each need to wrestle with this. Where we can suddenly see in webcams the damage we inflict with bombs we are (almost) right back to fighting hand-to-hand. Soon the victims will have more personality than the combatants, perhaps that's as it should be. Can we not come to a solution in this to undermine war? Hatred? Mistrust? And then work together to fight poverty? Disease? Oppression?
I'm coming to a new awareness. I'm living into the reality of words I've said my whole life. Beautiful words about harmony, unity, peace. About being able to achieve any dream. They're sullied when you don't really mean them. When you scorn people that are trapped by their circumstances. Their powerlessness. Even their own decisions.
I wonder at people. We have the power to destroy the world several times over. I'm not just talking bombs. I'm talking about every product, every cleaning chemical, power generation, everything. And in comparison, what do we make that has the power to heal?
I tell you what. The first step toward healing is to learn how wounded you really are. Please take a look at this short film called Bloodline. It's shockingly and crushingly sad. This shows you a reality you already know -- now it just gives it a name and a face. What's your role in the world? Well that's your journey. That's your own quest. This is my invitation you to engage and participate. This isn't a call to a specific action. Just to action.
After you watch, feel free to pop back here and debrief...
Labels: inspiration
2 Comments:
I watched Bloodline, I thought it was really well done. A lot of the images were very moving, she is an amazing photographer.
I think there is part of the AIDS crisis that I don't fully understand and that is what is the solution?
It seems that it is such an overwhelming problem, is it education these people need, condoms, promote abstinance a reality check to get them out of denial of the epidemic around them or all of the above.
I think out here in the West we can seemed removed from the problem and ignore it. I mean when did this become my problem? Don't get me wrong, I'd like to help. Maybe I need more examples of solutions working.
What struck me as I watched Bloodline was how coldly I've viewed the problem. "It's so distant and so big," I'd tell myself. "What could I possibly do?"
And here's a photographer asking that question for real. She comes away with something that has shrunk the problem to human scale. She made it something I can understand and maybe even play a role in. And I want to play a role somewhere, somehow -- maybe doing something similar for another cause.
In no way am I denying the messiness of this, all the faces of the issue that seem to be so incredibly complicated. And truthfully action is complicated. But how to be human is becoming less complicated to me.
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