I hope you are all well in the midst of the activity on campus and around the world. We find ourselves in quite the place with the sorrow of Haiti, Chile, Japan, the Olympics, and the list goes on. But closer to home, we are constantly surrounded by the new age of protest in which the UCSD campus finds itself. As an on-campus resident, I must admit I find myself overwhelmed in a somewhat helpless way. The campus has energy each day~ and when you live on campus you absorb that energy in a sense. With all of the recent protests going on, I can't help but want to hide, to emerse in beauty, dig myself deep in warm sand or soil and be relieved for a few moments of silence, not of ignorance of world happenings, but just a quiet place of meditation in a neutral environment. That is how I feel about you, the Neighborhood Community Garden at UCSD. You have been like a shelter to me. Your soil can absorb my tears and my weight, and in return I get joy and the overwhelming peace and beauty of nature.
My dear friends, please use UCSD's transportation to explore off campus. The beach is right there- hop on a bicycle or take a walk if you prefer to do so. Take advantage of the closeness you have to the pulchritudinous ocean~ it is right there, waiting. And don't forget about the dear Garden behind the Che Cafe. I know I won't.
Me in the midst of the Garden:
Wishing you love and peace,
email me with any questions/concerns/needs of support/feedback and feel free to post comments of opinion.
I am your friend and open ears.
Jessica
jbaltman@ucsd.edu
Racism begins with our families, parents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents, people we admire, respect and love.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as we grow and mature we come to the realization that what we were told by our family when we were children were slanted lies base on their prejudices. We realize that most people are like ourselves and not so different and want the same things, like a home, steady work, a Medicare plan and schools for our children (if you travel you will see this). We realize that most people are of good hearts and goodwill.
This reminds me of a parable from the good book where a Levite and Priest come upon a man who fell among thieves and they both individually passed by and didn’t stop to help him. Finally a man of another race came by, he got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy and got down with the injured man, administered first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up saying, this was the good man, this was the great man, because he had the capacity to project the “I” into the “thou,” and to be concerned about his fellow man.
You see, the Levite and the Priest were afraid, they asked themselves, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?”
But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”
That’s the question before us. The question is not, “If I stop to help our fellow man in need, what will happen to me?” The question is, “If I do not stop to help our fellow man, what will happen to him or her?” That’s the question.
God bless all my brothers and sister that stood side by side with our brothers and sisters in need, when you saw a wrong you tried to correct it, you may argue the methods but not the reasons. I know God will not discriminate by country of origin, our sex, our orientation, color of our skin, or our religion as men do.
I love that garden too... it is a wonderful place to get away without getting away!
ReplyDelete