We belong in a bundle of life. We say, 'a person is a person through other people.' It is not 'I think therefore I am' [but rather] 'I am human because I belong." I participate, I share. ––Archbishop Desmond Tutu (WOWO, 74)While it may be difficult to find meaning and connection over a semester's engagement with a community, even the difficulty may tell us something important. We all have pulls on our time and energy: the business of our own lives, juggling the many tasks and responsibilities of our daily lives. We may feel a clash at times between our values/ideals/what gives meaning to our lives and what we can actually do. Yet we are also fortunate to have these kinds of conflicts/obstacles and not some of the others that you may be witnessing in the Canal or MCCS, heard about in your interviews and from guest speakers, researched in relationship to your narrative video, or read about in the course texts.
This CLQ is about finding meaning in an age that often bombards us with choices and so much information that we are prone to psychic numbing. This CLQ asks us to consider the ways in which we are informed and formed by our connections and disconnections. We understand the importance of narrative because our lives are "story-shaped"* and the significance of story is central to the ways we understand ourselves and others. We also see the ways in which information can be effectively shaped to bypass the psychic numbing of data and technology and can be used to spread awareness of that story. But as Aleph Molinari tell us in his TED talk, the story starts and is shaped on the ground by human energy, between people, in communities..
Begin to think about your final paper and the story you will tell of the semester's "journey" through the colloquium guiding questions and in the community living the challenges and surprises of making meaningful connections, of gathering information in service of a cause. As you read the narratives from Walk Out Walk On, be thinking about how you might tell your story (you will receive the guidelines for the final paper shortly).
This week's writing is a chance to begin to build that framework.
1. Use at least one examples from each of this week's WOWO narratives to illustrate the meaning of the epigraph above.
2. Use an example from your experience with your community partner to illustrate how you able now able understand the epigraph through the lens of this experience.
3. Note the ways in which the WOWO narratives show the challenges and the gifts within each community. a) Use at least one example from each narrative. (Think about the ways in which the challenges are also part of the "gifts" or the capacity for resilience the authors note). b) Similarly, what have you learned about the challenges and gifts in the canal community (or MCCS)? Use an illustration from your experience or something you learned from your interview. If you use your interview, include a direct quote.
* The concept of "story-shaped selves" comes from a chapter in Charles Guignon's book On Being Authentic. Guiginon writes about the philosophic view of self called "narrativist" that emphasizes the " fact that we always embedded in and dependent on a wider shared context of meanings we do not create ourselves" (Guignon 2004, p 127).
He cites philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre's claim that our own story "only makes sense in terms of, a set of interlocking narratives." Meaning, every individual story is inherently part of a larger social fabric or collective story. What connects us all is our participation in this larger always unfolding narrative of our shared humanity. (Guignon 2004, p.135).
In terms of this colloquium, we can think about how technology increases our ability to access information and be even more conscious of this shared story and our part in its telling.
“We belong in a bundle of life. We say, 'a person is a person through other people.' It is not 'I think therefore I am' [but rather] 'I am human because I belong." I participate, I share. ––Archbishop Desmond Tutu (WOWO, 74). I think when Tutu was saying this he was referring to how people in Africa are treated as sometimes less than human, because of their lack of wealth or status. However, Tutu is challenging the rest of the world to accept them because they are simply human and deserve to be treated well. I found that in the narrative about South Africa in the area of Joubert Parks which is described in WOWO as “one of the most unlikely places for a green initiative”(86). Since South Africa is plagued with many social and political problems I thought it was very positive to see despite all the chaos around them, the people decided to come together and benefit their community. This also relates to epigraph because, it makes people feel like they belong, and that they are apart of something positive.
ReplyDeleteI see what Desmond Tutu describes in this quote in my community partner often when the kids at MCCS feel confident in what they are studying. When most of the students at MCCS first come to the school I can often tell that they are nervous and apprehensive to start learning because they feel that they will be judged, or called stupid. However, when they actually grasp a concept I can tell that they feel very proud of themselves and have a more positive outlook on their future. I also believe since there are tutors there such as myself and my other classmates, I feel that the students aren’t always around strict authority so they don’t feel too vulnerable, and I think that this makes them feel more comfortable to ask questions about things they don’t understand, and they will have someone there around their same age who won’t intimidate them. Although many people believe that like areas in South Africa, MCCS students have problems but just the small things such as building a garden like in Joubert Park, or working with a shy student can make a big difference, and make a person feel accepted and like they belong.
3. WOWO shows many of the challenges that are in South Africa for example, it is the world capital for rape, violence, and poverty. One out of four citizens has HIV, and the unemployment rate reaching thirty percent. These problems can seem like mountains to an outsider, or someone from the Western world. However, like it is displayed in WOWO, doing something simple like building a greenhouse center in a urban park can change peoples outlook on their situation. Working to make a positive difference in the environment really did shape the entire neighborhood of Joubert Park. Building this park even helped some of the bigger problems such as unemployment in the neighborhood because many adults learned to read and were then able to obtain employment and provide a better life for their children. Interdependence within the community is also something very positive to come out of this park “Interdependence is the essence of Joubert Park. Community members recognize that producing food educating children and providing jobs are inextricably linked together”(90). Having the trust to rely on each other as part of a community is very important and has certainly changed Joubert Park for the better.
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ReplyDeleteNot On The Outside Looking In, Nor On The Inside Looking Out, But In The Dead Center Looking Around
ReplyDeleteWe belong in a bundle of life. We say, 'a person is a person through other people.' It is not 'I think therefore I am' [but rather] 'I am human because I belong." I participate, I share. ––Archbishop Desmond Tutu (74)
1.This quote reminds me of a concept I learned in high school. A environmental science teacher of mine was explaining the connections and relationships between different creatures and species and as the conversation evolved, it went more along the lines of philosophy. Something he said that I still remember vividly was when he said, “We are the universe’s way of perceiving itself.” Although I am not entirely sure I interpreted it the way he anticipated, it allowed me to further understand the interconnectedness with everything in the world around us. We validate our existence through others. Whether or not that is a pessimistic or narcissistic view on things, it basically is only seeing that we can only exist because others exist. As independent as some of us may strive to be, at the end of the day, all of us depend on something whether it’s from the person who made the clothes on your back, or the person you had a discussion with at lunch. That’s what this quote brings to mind, “I am human because I belong,” was the strongest phrase for me. To me, it says that being human has no requirement other than being alive with the rest of the human race. A quote that helped further illustrate this was, "Collapses always cause terrible suffering. Yet we humans have an enduring capacity not only to survive, but to learn and grow" (127). The first thought I had after reading this was, “evolution” not necessarily in a scientific point of view, but rather that humans evolve together from the influence of the world that surrounds us. Without a surrounding world to interact with, we’d have nothing to adapt to, nowhere to evolve, almost as though we didn’t even exist.
2.At Canal Alliance, with helping tutor the High School aged students, I think the awareness of each other’s presence is enough to convey the message of this quote. AT times when I have nothing to do and no one to assist, they sometimes look around and notice it. Sometimes I’ll see someone trying to figure something out, and I can tell, without any verbal communication. We’ve become accustomed to how people have come to be. We are all human beings that are together in a room trying to accomplish something, with that something depending on their presence and existence.
3.South Africa is shown to have many challenges in the face of fatal disease, living conditions and more, and it is clear that there are people who are suffering. The gift is that they “dare” to come together to try to achieve a greater good for South Africa in general. This is highlighted by the quote, “a community has dared to turn to one another to create a sense of safety, care for its children, educate its adults, empower its youth, grow its own food, and make wise use of its own waste.” (92) The Canal, though on a smaller scale, seems to have the same idea. The people of the community have turned to one another and develop these programs that will help them in their quest for survival in their community.
1.) "We belong in a bundle of life. We say, 'a person is a person through other people.' It is not 'I think therefore I am' [but rather] 'I am human because I belong." I participate, I share. ––Archbishop Desmond Tutu (WOWO, 74). This quote is very powerful, to me when reading it I interpret it as there are stereotypes for almost everything: gender, religion, race, sexual preference ect. If you live your life by these stereotypes then you become apart of them but if you look at your self as an individual within a group you are separating yourself from what others say you are or should be. It is one thing to be an individual within a group and another to be stereotyped into a group and just going along with it. In the South Africa narrative they challenge the stereotype of a poor and ugly country by celebrating life at Joubert Park in Johannesburg. " Yes, there were still shootings in Joubert Park. It was till a transient community of people passing through on their way, they hoped, to something better"(WOWO, 76). Although Joubert Park is founded on poverty, racisms, and apartheid it has overcome these obstacle and has become a positive place for celebration. This park is a place for people to come together and enjoy to leave behind the stereotypes.
ReplyDelete2.) At Bahia Vista Elementary in Karen's cooking classes I have experienced this idea of "being a part of a group but not defining yourself based on that group". One class there was a couple of boys that were roughing around while the teacher was trying to explain something. The teacher kept having to repeatedly stop talking and tell them to keep their hands to themselves. There was definitley a "leader" boy who was instigating the rough housing. He kept picking on this other boy but they other little boy was ignoring him. Instead of rough housing with the boy who instigated it he decided to keep his hands to himself. Instead of "fitting in" with his friends and rough housing he knew if was wrong and decided not to participate.
3.) WOWO narratives show the challenges and gifts within a community by narrating the difficult history of that community or the problems going on in that community but they then show the great things that come out of this community. a) In South Africa the poverty, HIV/AIDS, and illiteracy can to some define this community but they focus on the positive like Joubert Park. In Zimbabwe despite the poverty and the decrease in food a group of women are able to come together in the knitting group and do something they really enjoy. b) The challenges in the cooking classes is getting kids interested in healthy food when they could just eat fast food. The great part about it is when the kids find making food and planting food is very fun and they enjoy it. They try new things and eat healthier.