My Fellow Pilgrims,
Yes, we are pilgrims
when we journey together for a common goal, in our case, to experience the
artifacts and memorials that represent much of what is the best, and sometimes,
what is the worst of our collective cultures. A highlight of the trip for
me -- and there were many -- was the image of Tianha in an arabesque of sorts
between the two great stones at the entrance to the Martin Luther King
Memorial. Her arms were swung high and broad as though she
was celebrating the parting of the stones, even suggesting that she
was responsible for parting the stones, herself. This image captures a
sense of appreciation for the events that were memorialized there, the movement
beyond those events and the fact that we must all continue to be responsible
for contributing toward social justice when we see inequities in our own time.
The Holocaust Museum
further underscored the need for each of us to be awake to our personal
responsibility to our fellow beings, in our micro-cultures, our meso-cultures
and our macro-cultures. In other words, do we stand up for our
classmates when they are in need or mistreated or bullied? Do we care
enough about poverty or homelessness in our cities that we invest a few minutes
to give a canned good, or register to vote? Do we care enough about the
type of genocide that we saw exhibited at the Holocaust Museum to listen to the
news or read an article that describes the horrors that are occurring in
our own time in such places at Darfur or Syria?
And based on the type
of interaction that I witnessed among our group, I would say that, yes, we are
willing to stand up for those who are in need. I want to thank all of you
for the honor of spending this time among you to witness the authentic
inquisitiveness that you bring to your experiences and the dignity
that you account to your fellow man.
And you are all a lot
of fun! Please send in your great photos!
~ Kaye Yadusky
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