We had an interesting discussion this morning at youth group at the Unitarian Universalists. Because of Rosa Parks' death last week, we thought it'd be good to discuss the civil rights movement with them (I'm one of the advisors for the high school youth group, aka YRUUs). I introduced them to Claudette Colvin. "Who," you ask, "is Claudette Colvin?" Ah - good question. She was a 15 year old black girl in Montgomery Alabama who, in a fashion identical to Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat to white people in 1955. She was only 15, and she did this before Rosa Parks did, and is mostly unknown. The trouble was, she was too black, too young, too emotional and prone to cursing and outbursts, and too pregnant as an unmarried teenager, for the NAACP to use her as their person to rally 'round. She wasn't the right kind of icon. So here's someone with the same internal fortitude and the same strength as Rosa Parks, who decided she'd had enough of being pushed around, and stood up to a bus driver and while policemen (who had handcuffed her and were dragging her kicking and screaming out of the bus), and she was only fifteen, for crying out loud. Good for HER. And while I understand that the NAACP needed to be careful in the implementation of their boycott and they couldn't afford mistakes, I can't help but be bothered at the orchestration, you know? Was her protest any less signficant than Rosa Parks? Was the discrimination she faced any less? Anyway, the kids had some interesting discussion. We ended up off on tangents about anarchy and violent oppression of hate groups, but it was all fun. What an intelligent and angry and great group of kids.
I've been a little sad lately - no obvious reason why. It probably has something to do with reading some of Daniel Quinn's Beyond Civilization and thinking about a sustainable world and how far away we are from that. Nothing like a sprinking of global warming, dwindling energy resources, toxic soil and groundwater, and nonbiodegradable waste dumps to brighten your day, eh? Ah well...I go through these periods occasionally. I have to just let myself be sad for a while. And in a way, it's not *that* sad. I really don't think the human species is going to last forever - it can't. I hate to think that we could/will probably be the authors of our extinction, though. How embarrassing. But really, what does it matter? We can't destroy the earth and we can't destroy life. Life will continue to evolve with or without us. We'll be a distinct, but probably unimportant dot in the continuous evolution of species on earth. We're part of the cycle, and will have a beginning and an end. Just leave any pain and suffering on the part of my precious children OUT of the equation, thankyouverymuch. Other than that, gaia earth and Master Universe have my permission to do as they will.
Wouldn't I be a fun dinner date tonight?
Oh come on. We all have periods of doom and gloom. Best to make the most of them, right? WALLOW in that bleakness.
E is a chess-playing maniac these days. She wants to enter an amateur chess tournament in a couple of weeks. Why not? Could be fun. Q is a book-reading maniac. He's joined the school's Battle of the Books and has read something like 6 novels in about a week and a half. Is anyone out there surprised at all that DH and I have totally nerdy children?
Hey, get out and VOTE on Tuesday. After last year's debacle (tears, knashing of teeth, pulling of hair, crying on shoulders of friends, wakes with plenty of alcohol to stave off the depression), I'm having a hard time mustering enthusiasm, but I still think voting is better than not voting. I feel like I'm a quiet voice in a sea of lemmings around here, but lord knows I'm going to make my voice count. As one vote. Against about half a million. But it'll be there. Sigh.
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