From "Creed," by Dom Helder Cámara

I want to believe that the whole world

Is my home, the field I sow,

And that all reap what all have sown.

I will not believe that I can combat oppression out there

If I tolerate injustice here.

I want to believe that what is right

Is the same here and there

And that I will not be free

While even one human being is excluded.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

FOR AUNG SAN SUU KYI: A Shooting Star Moment

I'm not the kind of person who wears rosy glasses, but despite my realism (pessimism?), beautiful things happen in this world. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of Burma's Democratic movement, was released today by the totalitarian military junta that has imprisoned her under house arrest for 15 of the last 21 years. She has been freed two other times from her arrest, only to be thrown back into her home after crossing some arbitrary line, but still I say that beautiful things happen. My heart goes out to the celebrating people in Burma who have held vigil at her gates for a quarter of their lives, and to the global community that supports her. When PeaceJam was held at LMU, six Nobel laureates called for her release in my school's gymnasium. I was there to see them rallying, and I am alive to see her release. I realize, of course, as CNN so honestly tells, that no one is guaranteeing her release is permanent. But beautiful things happen, and it's nice to be reminded sometimes :).

1 comment:

  1. hey girl!!! so i am abstaining from Facebook starting this week just so I can cut off my connections to home a little more. We have internet access from our work/home space so i have decided not to go on Facebook. But we did get your package and I want to thank you so much for everything!!! your amazing and it was soooo sweet of you to send that over here!!! loves you girl!!

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