The Dude and I took the day off and mini-roadtripped down to the Indian Ocean to chase some waves. Hopefully I’ll be back tomorrow.
Here’s to real human days 😉
“The Fallen,” Art, and Others-Centered Bravery
Every day this month I’ve put my fingers on the keyboard and wrapped words around things human.
That may sound beautiful or fascinating, and in a way, it is. But it also feels like losing a boxing match. Every day. I may make off with fewer breaks and bruises, but not fewer wounds. And these rounds don’t have a final bell.
Today is no different. I sat down to share art with you. An original, massive, communicative piece, haunting and beautiful, that (for me), embodies the spirit of art. And, as hundreds of people took part, its creation exemplifies its purpose. Yes, yes, and YES!
It’s a work created for International Peace Day (something I knew nothing of) depicting the 9,000 souls lost on D-Day. A growing group of participators stenciled 9,000 fallen soldiers in the sand on a Normandy beach in a single day, and watched as the tide carried them away in the evening. There’s a whole website chronicling it and it’s totally worth checking out.
As usual, I perused the topic more widely as I prepared to write, and I remembered that earlier this year, Tsh had written about Normandy over at Simplemom. As I focused on the D-Day portion of her post, I stopped to watch the short History Channel video (embedded below) commemorating the day. Two minutes later, I could no longer see the video through the screen of water in my eyes.
As with all emotionally impacting things, the reasons were more complex than I can enumerate simply, but at least one element of it was imagining what these men must have been feeling – particularly the first to arrive – as they arrived on the beach.
In the past several years, I’ve stared down many fears. Fears of a dismal future, fear of people’s opinions, fears of losing a life (literally and figuratively), fears of failure and others… And I’ve purposefully worked to stare them down and kill them off. Not to ignore them (fat chance), or tell myself they’re stupid or unsubstantiated (they’re not), but to really face them and come to terms with them.
Because the truth this, my future may be dismal, some people will be saddened or maddened by things I say or do or believe or choose. I will fail at most things I attempt, because I attempt too many things and because I’m not God, and any day could be the day an 18-wheeler runs a red light at 50 mph and the Dude doesn’t make it home.
Figuring out how to stare down these fears has been hard work. Even as I write of it, I can feel the choke-hold worming its way up my torso and grasping for my throat. It’s not really there right now, but it’s so familiar that talking about it alights the memory in my senses, and they deliver.
And on the video, I watch these men arrive at the shore, wincing at the roars of artillery, one of them being the first to throw himself into the frigid waters and labor toward the shore. I see them pat each other’s backs as they purpose together toward Hitler’s armies in hopes of helping a people not their own.
Oh good grief; I’m such a whiny juvenile. My fears are real enough, fine. But I face them for myself, knowing there is something better on the other side. And seriously? I’m facing… what exactly? An imperfect life? Someone misunderstanding me? Or, God forbid, not being awesome? Seriously?
These men, and so many others like them in human history, faced fears much greater, often on behalf of others. It’s arresting. And it gives me much to ponder about myself and my generation.
And for yet another day, I sit down to share and walk away wounded.
But in all the best ways.
If you haven’t already, check out more of “The Fallen” on the official website, being sure to check out their gallery, in particular. Of course, I recommend the History Channel Video below, too.
Like All the Best Adventures
Welcome to day ten of this Exploring Humanity series. If you’re a subscriber, you’ve now seen something from me every. single. day. For a week and a half. That’s a lot, friends. For both of us.
As I wander the path of this series, I’m seeing things differently than I did at the beginning. Human things, certainly, but also things about the series itself.
I thought writing about Humanity for a month would provide room to explore all sorts of things I’ve wanted to reflect on and write about for a long time now. Stories from years past, introductions to great people, realizations born of indian sitting rooms and arabian weddings. And while 31 days in a row certainly provides room, it doesn’t exactly provide breathing room. And I’m seeing that they deserve it. And that I may have to wait.
Furthermore, I’m already forcing on you four times your regular dose of me. If every dose was a doozie, where would we be? Comatose, I’m pretty sure. And I mean all of us.
With that in mind, I’m decidedly directing the series toward smaller bits. Bits of things beautiful, human, and humanitarian. This isn’t much of a change, really; most of the series has been smaller bits already. But it’s a change for my intention of the series. I do hope to dive deeper here and there, but not so regularly that we’re all gasping for air.
This all parallels a larger reality I always need to be reminded of: Things never go like I think they will. Not because things go wrong, but because I’m not such an accurate predictor of the future.
And just like a coach needs to assess the unfolding game and adjust as necessary, it’s best for me to see what is actually unfolding in my life and maneuver accordingly.
Like all the best adventures, right?
This post is part of this month’s Exploring Humanity series.
5 Twitter Feeds for a Daily Dose of Humanity
It’s surprisingly hard for Americans to be aware of what’s happening in the rest of the world. Europeans love to deride us for this, and rightfully so, but there’s more to our situation than is easily comprehended from the outside.
For example… From my Texas hometown, I can drive ten hours and not leave the state. While for many cities of the western world, a ten hour drive will get you two countries over. If I drove ten hours from where I sit writing this, I could get to Yemen or Saudi Arabia. (Hypothetically, of course.) But ten hours from Texas? I might be still in Texas. Everywhere is just soooo far away!
But that’s only the first hurdle. News outlets in the US cover mainly what will keep Americans attached to their TVs (those damned liberals/conservatives, something *new* to fear, that sort of thing), and material online is little better, being both lengthy and hard to find. Many Twitter feeds only complicate things, squeezing into 140-characters a mash-up of world terms, abbreviations, hashtag location, hashtag organization, leaving you confounded and bleary-eyed to boot.
Still, Twitter may be the easiest way to start expanding our awareness beyond our borders.
Here are 5 Twitter feed suggestions to get you started:
1. The Culture-ist
The Culture-ist is my favorite feed on this list. They cover food, travel, the arts, and much else besides. They post too often for my taste, but I like it enough to stick around.
2. Peregrine Magazine
Like the Culture-ist, but with a travel bend. I’m relatively new to Peregrine Mag, but I like what I see so far. And they don’t overrun my feed. Just today they shared this gem. You know I love that.
3. The United Nations
I shouldn’t be surprised that the UN has a Twitter account, but then, I was surprised to learn the UN has a Twitter account. Their account veers slightly into “world terms, abbreviations, hashtag location, hashtag organization” territory, but on the whole is straightforward with a variety of news and issues. And they don’t clutter your feed.
4. Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an organization focusing on human rights. Their feed is full of related stories and ways to get involved, released at an extremely tolerable rate.
5. Oxfam
Oxfam is an Internation Coalition of 17 organizations working in 90 countries, focusing on poverty and injustice. I’m learning a ton from this feed.
These are some of my favorites; what are yours?
This post is part of this month’s humanity series.
What Is a Humanitarian Crisis?
Ambon Refugees, 1999Â
Lately I’ve been wondering a good bit – from far away, of course – about what stateside Americans think of the whole Syria thing.
I don’t mean, “do they think America should get involved,” because that’s a different matter altogether. I just wonder what, in general, people think of 100,000 people who will never see their parents, or siblings, or children again, the government’s bombing of schools, or the siege on entire cities that are causing people to die of starvation. I can’t help but wonder if it’s all internalized like a movie. Like everyone will get up and walk off set at the end. (Spoiler: they don’t.)
But then I realize I’m attuned to the Syria thing because I live around Syrians (who have lost family members and have no home to return to) and am considering moving to Lebanon (which is currently hosting some 1 million Syrian refugees). So I easily recognize Syrians as real, hurting people.
As I’ve read about the Syrian humanitarian crisis, though, other crises have crossed my path that I (shamefully) knew nothing about, like the 5 million people who’ve died in the Congo crisis of the last fifteen years (a death toll averaging 330,000 people a year) and the 2.5 million people who, according to Oxfam, currently need “immediate aid” there. Nor did I know about Mali or Myanmar and others.
In the end, I’m guessing this issue of not knowing is a big piece of things. I know and care because I’m closer and am more aware. There are things – a lot of other things – that I’m farther away from and either don’t know about or have decided I’m not spending my “caring energy” in that direction.
But coming around to the point…
What is a Humanitarian Crisis?
As I was turning this over in my head, I realized I wasn’t sure what, technically speaking, made something a “humanitarian crisis”. What’s the difference between a natural disaster, or a civil war, or a famine and a humanitarian crisis?
So I consulted the “BOI” (the dude calls the web-via-computer – the “Box Of Information”), and found the most straightforward explanation from the Humanitarian Coalition of Canada. They explain:
A humanitarian crisis is an event or series of events which represents a critical threat to the health, safety, security or wellbeing of a community or other large group of people, usually over a wide area. Armed conflicts, epidemics, famine, natural disasters and other major emergencies may all involve or lead to a humanitarian crisis that extends beyond the mandate or capacity of any single agency.
In short, a humanitarian crisis is when a difficult situation for a large number of people over a wide area grows or compounds to the extent that one particular branch of help (like food aid only, or medical aid only) is not enough.
This sounds much tidier, though, than the realities of people displaced, lacking shelter and food, who are at high risk for other problems like illness or being caught in an armed conflict.
Can you imagine walking away from your home today with a backpack and never seeing it again? Oh, and maybe getting herded by militia on your way out of town? Oh, and maybe watching your child die next month because you were no longer able to feed him? That’s more the face of humanitarian crises.
In tidy language it is the compounding of events beyond simple solutions. To real people, it’s trading in your whole entire life for an unknown that you may not live to see.
Quick side note: don’t go Googling this unless you’re in the mood to get real shaken up. Just saying.
Did you already know what comprised a humanitarian crisis? Do you have anything to add or clarify? I’m (obviously) learning, so please share your information or experience!
This post is part of this month’s humanity series.
Microfinancing & Kiva (an Opportunity)
You’ve probably heard of microfinancing before. And probably of Kiva, too. But come with me if you will, for the next three minutes or so, on a little tour that culminates in a free opportunity to do good in the world.
About 18 months ago, in one of the very first posts on this blog, I shared about Kiva, an organization who matches lenders from the first world with borrowers in the developing world to help them do everything from start businesses to marry-off children (very important in cultures where such unions will define the future of entire families).
Upon reading that post, my friend Samantha commented that she’d wished I’d included some life in the post by sharing realities behind these loans. And she’s right, I should have done that. Because behind the insanely-easy-to-help platform that is Kiva are human beings whose lives are changing because of the opportunities afforded them through microloans.
Since I’ve been on Kiva (a little over 2 years now), I’ve left my money in my “account” to re-loan as it’s paid back. I’ve effectively loaned over $1,100 in loans, more than 4 times the amount I’ve ever deposited in my Kiva “account.”
Counting only loans that have been repaid in full, my “porfolio” (as they call it) helped Sameil in Rwanda grow his clothing business and send his own children to school, it helped Belinda, a Ghanian girl with no high school education, grow her foodstuffs business and send her own children to school, and helped 27 others do similarly.
What’s not to love about not spending a dime but making it possible for other parents to send their children to school (which keeps the kids off the street and, in most cases, changes their future options significantly)?
And besides all of that, it’s eye-opening and fascinating to read of these lives from around the world. Olonbayar of Mongolia lives in a traditional felt tent but – don’t miss this – runs his own public transportation business.
Doesn’t that sound like living with your tribe without running water but flying an airplane for a living? (Incidentally, I know that guy; I’ll try to introduce you one of these days.)
You’ve no doubt heard the English proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Well, what if that man can fish but has no coins for a net or a line or a hook? And we, those with money for movies and sporting events and cars manufactured in the past decade, can give that man some coins and then get them back again?
Why would we not do that? No, really. Why would we not do that?
For a limited time, an anonymous donor will give you and me $25 to loan to Kiva borrowers if you try it out via this link. Then, when you invite others, the same holds true. So invite a friend, will you?
This post is part of this month’s humanity series.
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- …
- 25
- Next Page »