Thursday, June 25, 2015
The id Post: Where Are We Going? A New Age of Enlightenment? Or...
The id Post: Where Are We Going? A New Age of Enlightenment? Or...: by Irene Daniel This week we have seen the Confederate flag, a symbol of "southern pride" come down in South Carolina. This is s...
Where Are We Going? A New Age of Enlightenment? Or a New Dark Age?
by Irene Daniel
This week we have seen the Confederate flag, a symbol of "southern pride" come down in South Carolina. This is significant because not only did South Carolina birth the treasonous rebellion of the 1860s, it was also the most reticent to join the rebellion of the colonists against England in 1776. They don't like to give up things down there. Since South Carolina took this action, several other southern states have also taken action to ensure that their state governments no longer impose this symbol upon its citizens, a large number of whom are black.
This is a pretty big deal. The fact that this anti-confederacy fever seems to be gaining steam every day is simply astonishing. The arguments used in its condemnation are not new. So, what changed? Black people have been murdered for being black for centuries now. They've been murdered by guns. They've been murdered in churches. They have been blamed for a great many things for a very long time. Why now, after the deaths of nine people in a Charleston church, is the message finally being heard and heeded? And with such rapidity?
I don't know why these latest deaths somehow became a tipping point. What is it about this incident at this time in Charleston that shattered the myth of confederate valor in the "war of northern aggression"? Why now, does a son of the south rise up to speak on the floor of the South Carolina State Senate and declare that flying that flag in the face of those who have been oppressed by its flag-wavers for centuries is just plain wrong?
I'm speaking, of course, of State Senator Paul Thurmond, none other than the son of that great American segregationist, Strom Thurmond. This Senator Thurmond, however, not only said that the flag must go, but did so with a resounding rebuke of the past. This man is a profile in courage, and a true patriot. For a true American Patriot understands that freedom isn't free and that it means nothing if not accessible to every American.
Moreover, our American liberties have been thought through, written about, fought over and changed throughout our history. I recently posted a piece about gracefully surrendering the things of youth, such as our nation has always done. We have come a long way since the days when only white men who owned property could vote. All along the way, we had to surrender long-held biases and exclusivity in order to expand the franchise, marching toward that "more perfect union." We have had to collectively give up the biases and blindness that make it impossible to be true to our creed of "liberty and justice for all." This is what makes America great!
As we move deeper into the 21st century, I have wondered where we are headed; as a nation and as a human race. For a while there, I thought we might be headed for another Dark Age; reverting to something of a feudal system and an over-policed world. And of course, senseless and constant war would be suffered and celebrated with armies and flags around the globe. Self-governance would be a thing of the past, for people would be coerced into surrendering this precious right in order to protect themselves from somebody else's god; over which of course, all these wars would be waged.
However, with this news of this major evolution of the American south, as well as other telling signs, we may be able to avoid all that darkness. Perhaps we are waking up a bit. The largest growing voter-eligible demographics in the USA are millenialls, Latinos and women. These demographics trend toward more progressive views, and yet retain plenty of conservative skepticism about making things work. Maybe we are ushering in a time of great collaboration, instead of great polarization. Now that's a revolution I'll sign up for any day.
Perhaps we are able to evolve and grow into Abe's "more perfect union" after all.
Copyright 2015, Irene Daniel, all rights reserved.
This week we have seen the Confederate flag, a symbol of "southern pride" come down in South Carolina. This is significant because not only did South Carolina birth the treasonous rebellion of the 1860s, it was also the most reticent to join the rebellion of the colonists against England in 1776. They don't like to give up things down there. Since South Carolina took this action, several other southern states have also taken action to ensure that their state governments no longer impose this symbol upon its citizens, a large number of whom are black.
This is a pretty big deal. The fact that this anti-confederacy fever seems to be gaining steam every day is simply astonishing. The arguments used in its condemnation are not new. So, what changed? Black people have been murdered for being black for centuries now. They've been murdered by guns. They've been murdered in churches. They have been blamed for a great many things for a very long time. Why now, after the deaths of nine people in a Charleston church, is the message finally being heard and heeded? And with such rapidity?
I don't know why these latest deaths somehow became a tipping point. What is it about this incident at this time in Charleston that shattered the myth of confederate valor in the "war of northern aggression"? Why now, does a son of the south rise up to speak on the floor of the South Carolina State Senate and declare that flying that flag in the face of those who have been oppressed by its flag-wavers for centuries is just plain wrong?
I'm speaking, of course, of State Senator Paul Thurmond, none other than the son of that great American segregationist, Strom Thurmond. This Senator Thurmond, however, not only said that the flag must go, but did so with a resounding rebuke of the past. This man is a profile in courage, and a true patriot. For a true American Patriot understands that freedom isn't free and that it means nothing if not accessible to every American.
Moreover, our American liberties have been thought through, written about, fought over and changed throughout our history. I recently posted a piece about gracefully surrendering the things of youth, such as our nation has always done. We have come a long way since the days when only white men who owned property could vote. All along the way, we had to surrender long-held biases and exclusivity in order to expand the franchise, marching toward that "more perfect union." We have had to collectively give up the biases and blindness that make it impossible to be true to our creed of "liberty and justice for all." This is what makes America great!
As we move deeper into the 21st century, I have wondered where we are headed; as a nation and as a human race. For a while there, I thought we might be headed for another Dark Age; reverting to something of a feudal system and an over-policed world. And of course, senseless and constant war would be suffered and celebrated with armies and flags around the globe. Self-governance would be a thing of the past, for people would be coerced into surrendering this precious right in order to protect themselves from somebody else's god; over which of course, all these wars would be waged.
However, with this news of this major evolution of the American south, as well as other telling signs, we may be able to avoid all that darkness. Perhaps we are waking up a bit. The largest growing voter-eligible demographics in the USA are millenialls, Latinos and women. These demographics trend toward more progressive views, and yet retain plenty of conservative skepticism about making things work. Maybe we are ushering in a time of great collaboration, instead of great polarization. Now that's a revolution I'll sign up for any day.
Perhaps we are able to evolve and grow into Abe's "more perfect union" after all.
Copyright 2015, Irene Daniel, all rights reserved.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
The id Post: Not Again.
The id Post: Not Again.: by Irene Daniel You know, I was all set to post my essay on the racial identity crisis of Rachel Dolezal. I read a lot of articles, watche...
Not Again.
by Irene Daniel
You know, I was all set to post my essay on the racial identity crisis of Rachel Dolezal. I read a lot of articles, watched as many interviews as I could stomach, in preparation of this one blog post for today. And then Charleston.
When 9 people are murdered in their church, Dolezal's identity crisis seems less important. It would seem disrespectful to give my attention to Dolezal today. I can't explain it any better than that. And so I post my confusion, not about a white woman who chose to identify as black, but about 9 dead people who never had the luxury of choosing their racial identity. They are dead because they are black. They didn't "identify" as black. They didn't darken their skin. They were shot to death by a white supremacist who feared surrendering his false sense of superiority, and the unjust enrichment that ensued therefrom. He is a very young man, only 21 years old. Dylann Storm Roof opened fire in a church where he had been sitting with the congregation for over an hour, in an historic black church.
How did we get here? How are we still here? When will we learn that we must all share our world and its many beautiful things with one another every day. Why is this such a difficult thing to do? When will the time come that none of us has to best another in order to be in allegiance with something special that we feel; patriotism, religion? Why must we seek separation from our fellows in order to feel good about ourselves? I have never, ever been able to understand the need for segregation and separateness. I know now that I never will.
I grieve for all of the dead, injured and otherwise traumatized. How totally shocking it must be to see someone shooting your fellow worshippers in the House of God, where we all need to feel the most safe, the most at home in our souls. I cannot imagine witnessing such a violent and deadly act in a church right before your eyes. It just seems too cruel a thing to survive.
And yet, survive they must. And we must. And we have to move past all of this somehow. I don't know how, but we must. Our great nation is better than this. We are a better people, a more compassionate and inclusive people than this tragedy demonstrates.
I find myself unable to hate the gunman. He is a victim too. He is a victim of being taught that, because of the color of his skin, he is superior to those with darker pigments. And he inherited the rage of white supremacy from somewhere. Someone taught him to hate. Why?
I have no answers to anything today. I am just sad and confused by our nation's 21st century racial identity crisis. Who can deny that we are not in a crisis around race relations these days? It seems that the election of our first black president has uncovered a lot of resentment around race in America. It's as though a well-watched pot has finally boiled over into the madness we have experienced this week.
These two stories juxtaposed, about a week apart; both provide a different vantage point from which to assess how our country still struggles with issues of race.
We shall overcome? When?
Copyright 2015, Irene Daniel, All rights reserved.
You know, I was all set to post my essay on the racial identity crisis of Rachel Dolezal. I read a lot of articles, watched as many interviews as I could stomach, in preparation of this one blog post for today. And then Charleston.
When 9 people are murdered in their church, Dolezal's identity crisis seems less important. It would seem disrespectful to give my attention to Dolezal today. I can't explain it any better than that. And so I post my confusion, not about a white woman who chose to identify as black, but about 9 dead people who never had the luxury of choosing their racial identity. They are dead because they are black. They didn't "identify" as black. They didn't darken their skin. They were shot to death by a white supremacist who feared surrendering his false sense of superiority, and the unjust enrichment that ensued therefrom. He is a very young man, only 21 years old. Dylann Storm Roof opened fire in a church where he had been sitting with the congregation for over an hour, in an historic black church.
How did we get here? How are we still here? When will we learn that we must all share our world and its many beautiful things with one another every day. Why is this such a difficult thing to do? When will the time come that none of us has to best another in order to be in allegiance with something special that we feel; patriotism, religion? Why must we seek separation from our fellows in order to feel good about ourselves? I have never, ever been able to understand the need for segregation and separateness. I know now that I never will.
I grieve for all of the dead, injured and otherwise traumatized. How totally shocking it must be to see someone shooting your fellow worshippers in the House of God, where we all need to feel the most safe, the most at home in our souls. I cannot imagine witnessing such a violent and deadly act in a church right before your eyes. It just seems too cruel a thing to survive.
And yet, survive they must. And we must. And we have to move past all of this somehow. I don't know how, but we must. Our great nation is better than this. We are a better people, a more compassionate and inclusive people than this tragedy demonstrates.
I find myself unable to hate the gunman. He is a victim too. He is a victim of being taught that, because of the color of his skin, he is superior to those with darker pigments. And he inherited the rage of white supremacy from somewhere. Someone taught him to hate. Why?
I have no answers to anything today. I am just sad and confused by our nation's 21st century racial identity crisis. Who can deny that we are not in a crisis around race relations these days? It seems that the election of our first black president has uncovered a lot of resentment around race in America. It's as though a well-watched pot has finally boiled over into the madness we have experienced this week.
These two stories juxtaposed, about a week apart; both provide a different vantage point from which to assess how our country still struggles with issues of race.
We shall overcome? When?
Copyright 2015, Irene Daniel, All rights reserved.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
The id Post: Gracefully Surrendering the Things of Youth; Why C...
The id Post: Gracefully Surrendering the Things of Youth; Why C...: by Irene Daniel When I was in high school, I read Desiderata , by Max Ehrmann. There was one line that really struck me: that one about &...
Gracefully Surrendering the Things of Youth; Why Can't Our Great America Do This Simple Thing?
by Irene Daniel
When I was in high school, I read Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann. There was one line that really struck me: that one about "gracefully surrendering the things of youth." And I have been wondering lately: why can't America, our great nation do this simple thing?
And what are these "things of youth," of which I speak? Well, let's just tackle one of them in this essay. And that one thing is white supremacy and its natural consequence -- white privilege. Why can't we surrender this ugly thing?
Many Caucasians accuse me of hating white people. That is because they confuse and conflate my utter disdain for white privilege with themselves. They take it personally. I don't hate white people. My BFF since 4th grade is white, my son is white, and I have lots and lots of white friends. That is, of course, white friends who are capable of thinking critically and understand the difference between these two things: the legacy and ripple effects of centuries of legalized white privilege, and actual white human beings walking this land today. These are different things.
If you are white and reading this and insist on taking it personally, so be it; but you could not be more wrong. Moreover, your inability and/or refusal to make an effort to understand this distinction only serves to prove my point. Your subliminally ingrained attitude is the very by-product of centuries of the legal, and often brutally enforced, white supremacy of which I speak.
I love my country with the maturity that enables me to love it, warts and all. It is not, nor certainly ever has been, that "perfect union" of which Abraham Lincoln spoke. Our infant nation could not wear the clothes of a matured sovereign nation. And in our infancy, we got a lot of things wrong, chief among them, the affirmation of only white male owners of property. Those were the only people who had any rights in this nation until the 20th century, merely a century ago.
I love my country enough to see past its imperfections, especially as it continues to strive to get it right; to live up to our true creed of equal justice under the law. We are not there yet, but we are closer than we were even 50 years ago. Even 10 years ago.
And what I love most about this USA is that it is the only young nation, for we are quite young in the grand scheme of things, that is even trying to live up to such a creed. Everyone equal? That is a tall order for any nation, much less a young and struggling one. So, I forgive and accept that we have created much injustice in our past, as we have struggled to break away from old ideas and prejudices. It is not an easy thing to do. But I love my America for trying, over and over again, to get it right.
Our founders created a system which allowed for the growth and expansion of ideas of freedom, as well as the expansion of our borders. And it is this system of justice and self-government that provides us with a vehicle that insists on constantly examining itself by inviting the full participation of all citizens. With that idea, came the understanding that we must expand the notion of what it means to be a citizen, if we are to grow into our grand ideal.
This is what makes America great; that we have a system that not only encourages, but necessitates, a constant self-examination in order to grow into our notions of fairness, justice and equality. This is how and why our Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson (separate, but equal) in Brown v. Board (separate is inherently unequal). This is how we have added many amendments to our original constitution, as we grew into our idea of freedom and justice for all, and found it wanting. This is what gave the Civil Rights Act life in 1964, enabling us to include, rather than exclude, those who are not white, not male, and do not own land.
It is our system of self-governing that has enabled us to enlarge and increase the franchise in order to be true to our American soul. This is what is great about America.
And yet, as we see images of racial injustice all around us, the most recent that now infamous Texas pool party, where we watched a white police officer slam a 14 year-old girl to the ground and then proceeded to draw his gun on several young black men, I wonder why some white Americans cannot surrender their false sense of superiority.
I don't know what it's like to be white, although there have been times that I have been mistaken for white. As a California attorney, I was also often mistaken for the Spanish language interpreter in courtrooms. I guess me being an attorney seemed strange to some white people. I don't know what it's like to not have to constantly be proving myself in a white man's world. No doubt, it would be easier to not notice the slights and injustices inherent in this land of white privilege if I were not the constant victim thereof.
No one is born superior to another human being. We are what we make of ourselves. Some of us are born into an environment rich in the resources necessary to create our own successes. Many of us are not. And most of us not born into wealth are not white because our country has only recently affirmed our rights to access higher education, equal housing and employment.
So, our nation has only recently come into its own; its own truth about equality and fairness. Therefore, how can we not be at this very important and pivotal moment in our history? How can we not be confused about fairness when our government has had more experience dispensing injustice than justice?
Perhaps we should all be more patient with one another as we march toward that "more perfect union," that we all honor in our American souls. One thing is for certain, however. It is time for white Americans to give up the built-in privilege of whiteness that has dominated our society since its very inception. You are not better than we are. Your ancestors were affirmed in ways that mine were not, even though my parents were both born in the USA.
Surrender this injustice that has stilted the growth and greatness of our extraordinary nation for too long now. For the times they are a'changin' and our "more perfect union" cannot ever be unless and until we do so. Surrender gracefully, before we face more civil discourse and unrest. More violence will only make that surrender an involuntary one; and can only sow more seeds of discontent.
Haven't we all had enough of this false sense superiority enjoyed only by those with pale skin? The sooner white America can let go of the unjust enrichment of white privilege, the sooner we will be able to truly be the land of "liberty and justice for all."
Copyright 2015, Irene Daniel, All rights reserved.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
The id Post: Commencement 2015
The id Post: Commencement 2015: by Irene Daniel It's graduation season everywhere. Here in my hometown, Florence High School just graduated 136 young souls. As I sat ...
The id Post: Commencement 2015
The id Post: Commencement 2015: by Irene Daniel It's graduation season everywhere. Here in my hometown, Florence High School just graduated 136 young souls. As I sat ...
Commencement 2015
by Irene Daniel
It's graduation season everywhere. Here in my hometown, Florence High School just graduated 136 young souls. As I sat there on the football field, off to the side of the graduates and the podium, I learned a lot about them. An impressive lot, they are.
FHS Principal, Thad Gates, informed us that each of them has performed at least 40 hours of community service, totally over 7500 hours of labor donated to our community. They have donated over 71 units of blood, saving over 200 lives. And they have earned over $1.5 million in scholarships. There is a lot more to say about them, but I just don't have room to list all of those accolades here. Congrats to all of you. Consider me very impressed with, and proud of, all of you!
Well, why wouldn't they be so accomplished already, and hold such bright futures? Our little high school has graduated many, many young adults who have gone on to do some truly impressive things; and for a century now. Our Gopher Alums include war heroes, doctors (Chiefs of Staff, no less), lawyers, judges, legislators, police chiefs, musicians, corporate executives, ranchers, farmers, small business owners, engineers, bureaucrats of all kinds, and even teachers, many of whom return here to teach; our very own Assistant Superintendent of the Florence Union School District, Tony Jimenez, a case in point.
At times during the ceremony, my mind would wander into curiosity about what these young people might do with their lives. I wondered if they were afraid of the future. Even a little bit? Maybe a lot? I wondered what they expected of themselves, and how their expectations and dreams will truly shape the 21st century. This is so, of course, for graduates everywhere.
I hope they were inspired, as I was, by the words of Dr. Amy Fuller, Superintendent of the Florence Union School District. She quoted some of the greatest examples of human wisdom we have known. From Abraham Lincoln's warnings of the weakness of "a house divided against itself:" to Ghandi's challenge "be the change you want to see in the world;" to Mother Teresa's plea to "do small things with great love," she reminded all of us that true greatness lies in humility. She closed her remarks by reminding all of us that we have the power of choice, and we can choose to let life happen to us and remain in terminal victimhood, or we can choose to take the action necessary to be the hero in our own lives. She challenged us all to dare to be our own extraordinary selves.
I wonder if they realize that they are capable of such accomplishments as Lincoln, or Ghandi, or Mother Teresa, as well as myriad others. Is that what they heard in her remarks? I hope so. Because it's all true. I know from personal experience that this little cowboy town has produced legion examples of all that is great about our humanity. Most of us, at least at some point in our careers and paths, have worked in the service of others. Most of us made more than money. We made a difference in the lives of others and in many different and creative ways. It's what we do here. It's what we have always done.
While I recognized the names and faces of many of the graduates, I knew that they were the latest generation of families I know, have know for over 50 years. Sometimes, I still see my old classmates as teenagers, even though we comb gray and silver hair now. And I recognized their features in the faces of their descendants, and I feel a sense of completeness and wholeness in my life.
For this is my commencement, too; sans cap and gown. I am at another beginning in my life; the beginning of the end, perhaps, but a beginning nevertheless. This commencement, however, does not impose the kind of performance anxiety of my 3 past graduations. Graduation from high school meant that it was time to grow up and go to school and work. Graduation from ASU meant that I was on to the College of Law at UCLA. Graduation from law school meant taking the bar exam and securing a job or clerkship. I'm not complaining, mind you; for it is these graduations and what followed that permits this commencement into a future of my own creation.
For this new beginning is not about going out and getting things: degrees, jobs, certifications, professional licenses, spouses, cars or houses. Been there, done that. Meh. Not that I would discourage any of our grads from seeking any and all of these things. I hope they never stop trying to improve themselves, and that they remain hungry for daily self-discovery. To stop growing in our humanity is to be a dead soul. I don't know about you, but I see a lot of dead souls walking around.
Wanting nice things in life is not a bad thing. However, I have seen so many examples of well-intentioned people justifying selling out their humanity for a high-profile material identity. I hope our Gophers are too smart to trade something so valuable for something so small. It is never an easy choice and I have been seduced into reaching for that bright shiny object, even though I knew that this thing that I sought, could never make me happy if I wasn't okay with myself without it. I learned to trust my inner intuitive soul, for deep inside I've always known that true success must be self-determined, not a reaction to somebody else's idea of who I should be, or what I should be doing with my life. And I say to our most recent Gopher grads: Be you! And no one else. This is not an easy thing to do, but it is the only path to true happiness.
This new beginning for me is not so much about acquiring anything, although I do need some home improvement work done. Rather, it seems to be about letting go, releasing. Rather than wanting to be filled up with things, I feel an almost desperate need to empty myself out; to give of what I already have, of the fruits of my labor, the harvest of my past graduations -- the ones with caps and gowns.
I have friends old and new in my Town of Florence. And I am still learning, still challenging new horizons in my life. I'm learning how to grow my own vegetables in a classroom that is the high school auditorium in Old Main. I have occupied it so many, many times. So, I see my old high school as not just of my past, but a part of my new future. My Alpha and Omega.
When I moved away from here 40-plus years ago, I never thought I would be coming back here to live -- ever. And now, I don't want to be anywhere else in the world. This is my home and my hometown. This is where my new life commences.
To all of you who graduate from anywhere in 2015, be it kindergarten or college, high school or grad school, but especially my Florence Gophers, CONGRATULATIONS!! Go for it!!
Copyright 2015, Irene Daniel, All rights reserved.
It's graduation season everywhere. Here in my hometown, Florence High School just graduated 136 young souls. As I sat there on the football field, off to the side of the graduates and the podium, I learned a lot about them. An impressive lot, they are.
FHS Principal, Thad Gates, informed us that each of them has performed at least 40 hours of community service, totally over 7500 hours of labor donated to our community. They have donated over 71 units of blood, saving over 200 lives. And they have earned over $1.5 million in scholarships. There is a lot more to say about them, but I just don't have room to list all of those accolades here. Congrats to all of you. Consider me very impressed with, and proud of, all of you!
Well, why wouldn't they be so accomplished already, and hold such bright futures? Our little high school has graduated many, many young adults who have gone on to do some truly impressive things; and for a century now. Our Gopher Alums include war heroes, doctors (Chiefs of Staff, no less), lawyers, judges, legislators, police chiefs, musicians, corporate executives, ranchers, farmers, small business owners, engineers, bureaucrats of all kinds, and even teachers, many of whom return here to teach; our very own Assistant Superintendent of the Florence Union School District, Tony Jimenez, a case in point.
At times during the ceremony, my mind would wander into curiosity about what these young people might do with their lives. I wondered if they were afraid of the future. Even a little bit? Maybe a lot? I wondered what they expected of themselves, and how their expectations and dreams will truly shape the 21st century. This is so, of course, for graduates everywhere.
I hope they were inspired, as I was, by the words of Dr. Amy Fuller, Superintendent of the Florence Union School District. She quoted some of the greatest examples of human wisdom we have known. From Abraham Lincoln's warnings of the weakness of "a house divided against itself:" to Ghandi's challenge "be the change you want to see in the world;" to Mother Teresa's plea to "do small things with great love," she reminded all of us that true greatness lies in humility. She closed her remarks by reminding all of us that we have the power of choice, and we can choose to let life happen to us and remain in terminal victimhood, or we can choose to take the action necessary to be the hero in our own lives. She challenged us all to dare to be our own extraordinary selves.
I wonder if they realize that they are capable of such accomplishments as Lincoln, or Ghandi, or Mother Teresa, as well as myriad others. Is that what they heard in her remarks? I hope so. Because it's all true. I know from personal experience that this little cowboy town has produced legion examples of all that is great about our humanity. Most of us, at least at some point in our careers and paths, have worked in the service of others. Most of us made more than money. We made a difference in the lives of others and in many different and creative ways. It's what we do here. It's what we have always done.
While I recognized the names and faces of many of the graduates, I knew that they were the latest generation of families I know, have know for over 50 years. Sometimes, I still see my old classmates as teenagers, even though we comb gray and silver hair now. And I recognized their features in the faces of their descendants, and I feel a sense of completeness and wholeness in my life.
For this is my commencement, too; sans cap and gown. I am at another beginning in my life; the beginning of the end, perhaps, but a beginning nevertheless. This commencement, however, does not impose the kind of performance anxiety of my 3 past graduations. Graduation from high school meant that it was time to grow up and go to school and work. Graduation from ASU meant that I was on to the College of Law at UCLA. Graduation from law school meant taking the bar exam and securing a job or clerkship. I'm not complaining, mind you; for it is these graduations and what followed that permits this commencement into a future of my own creation.
For this new beginning is not about going out and getting things: degrees, jobs, certifications, professional licenses, spouses, cars or houses. Been there, done that. Meh. Not that I would discourage any of our grads from seeking any and all of these things. I hope they never stop trying to improve themselves, and that they remain hungry for daily self-discovery. To stop growing in our humanity is to be a dead soul. I don't know about you, but I see a lot of dead souls walking around.
Wanting nice things in life is not a bad thing. However, I have seen so many examples of well-intentioned people justifying selling out their humanity for a high-profile material identity. I hope our Gophers are too smart to trade something so valuable for something so small. It is never an easy choice and I have been seduced into reaching for that bright shiny object, even though I knew that this thing that I sought, could never make me happy if I wasn't okay with myself without it. I learned to trust my inner intuitive soul, for deep inside I've always known that true success must be self-determined, not a reaction to somebody else's idea of who I should be, or what I should be doing with my life. And I say to our most recent Gopher grads: Be you! And no one else. This is not an easy thing to do, but it is the only path to true happiness.
This new beginning for me is not so much about acquiring anything, although I do need some home improvement work done. Rather, it seems to be about letting go, releasing. Rather than wanting to be filled up with things, I feel an almost desperate need to empty myself out; to give of what I already have, of the fruits of my labor, the harvest of my past graduations -- the ones with caps and gowns.
I have friends old and new in my Town of Florence. And I am still learning, still challenging new horizons in my life. I'm learning how to grow my own vegetables in a classroom that is the high school auditorium in Old Main. I have occupied it so many, many times. So, I see my old high school as not just of my past, but a part of my new future. My Alpha and Omega.
When I moved away from here 40-plus years ago, I never thought I would be coming back here to live -- ever. And now, I don't want to be anywhere else in the world. This is my home and my hometown. This is where my new life commences.
To all of you who graduate from anywhere in 2015, be it kindergarten or college, high school or grad school, but especially my Florence Gophers, CONGRATULATIONS!! Go for it!!
Copyright 2015, Irene Daniel, All rights reserved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)