I used this
example of when the narrator is describing of what the experience would be like
if someone were to visit Joubert Park. It talks of people who have
"hopeless eyes" of the park. Seeing how it's full of loiterers, with
a tense vibe when visited. Usually when an individual passes by the park, a
"photographer greets you with his Nikon" (WOWO 85). People who
doesn't want to have their picture taken because of confidentiality, usually
sees the park as more of a negative view. However, these photographers is just
another human being at the park, and their reason isn't because of invading
people's privacy but to enhance neighborhood crime watch. "They were to
first to self-organize to reverse the park's rampart deter orient in the 1990s.
Their small efforts paved the way for something new to merge" (85) As Tutu
said "I am human because I belong. I participate, I share”, which is what
these photographers were doing, they were just doing what they felt was right,
and feel that they wanted to be involve in making the place safer.
For
Zimbabwe, an example is from one of the first Kufundees who came to practice
and teach permaculture. He says " Don't tell people what to do, but show
them where you want to go. " (104). WIth his physical appearance with
dreadlocks under his wool hat, people may interpret him not in a serious
manner. Yet underneath it all, Silas "participates and shares" his
knowledge to others. He is a devoted practitioner of meditation where he wants
to teach others of "who he is and how he can help others". His most
powerful statement that relates to the epigraph is that " I've come to
realize that what we must do is share. We know that we have everything we need;
we just have to take time to discover it" (105).
2) An
example of my experience in MCCS is that this one time I was tutoring these
kids in a group session, and one of them asked me " Why are you here
anyways? You can be out partying or something" I answered them, "
Well because I want to help you." They said," Do you want to help us
or you're just here to fulfill your credits?" Then they started to laugh
and didn't take my reply seriously. It actually somehow really bummed me out that
seeing how I dress like, and seeing how I am from Dominican University, they
feel as if having tutors there is just a waste of time for us. They have a
mentality that we are there to help them because of credits, and how we are
better than them. Personally, I am not who they "think, there I am"
who I want to be. " I participate, I share" my knowledge to them
because I care for them genuinely. It breaks my heart sometimes to hear these
kids' stories and feel that they just go day by day without having any thought
of what they want to do with their future.
3) In South
Africa, the journey talked a lot of Joubert Park, and people's reaction to
challenges such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, and homelessness, immigration, safety,
etc. Even though, these are complex
topics that many people in Africa encounters, this complexity isn't the
problem. "Complex systems are filled with challenges and conflicts that
are unavoidable, but these aren't the problem either. The central problem is
how we work with complexity." (96) Most people would just try to avoid the
situation; hence the problem in Africa seems to never be solved and is an
ongoing topic everywhere. However this may be a challenge, or challenges in
Africa, it also can be a gift through its situation. As time passes, more
experts emerge and try to discover new opportunities. "Discovering that
not being right opens the space for other people's good ideas", which
gives more an enthusiasm to find solutions to these complex problems that can
be able to work at the very end. I found out that there are many kids around
the Marin County specifically who are consider "bad" are able to go
to MCCS, so they can still have an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and
earn their credits to go back to their high school and graduate.
In Zimbabwe, there is a Zimbabwean mother who
makes "a bold move" of walking out to a world that has been working well
for her and walking on to the dirt beneath of her feet. She went out of her
comfort zone and challenged herself so she can be able to bring a
"gift" to the community. After negotiating, she was able to change
some of the places that didn't look too nice, into something that agriculture could
grow and build a preschool for children to go too. At MCCS, some of the
teachers are community workers, so they would have the students do art projects
that would benefit the community. It's a
challenge to get these kids cooperate and understand the essential meanings of
why they do what they do.
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