Hope In Action

It the midst of so many problems throughout the world, plus natural disasters, like the wild fire in Fort McMurray, Alberta and in other parts of Canada, the knowing or perhaps not knowing, what to contributes to these events, may seem irrelevant to some.

First and foremost compassion is needed, putting aside all the political discourse and agendas, that will only antagonize an already disparate situation. After this, at some point, as human beings we do need and want to know why things happen. We try to either make sense of what has happened, needing to find some kind of meaning within these events.

It is essential that if we can know the antecedents or causes, then hopefully we can either find solutions or take preventative measures for a better future ahead, in being prepared so we can adapt. That said, hope alone is not enough. There must be hope in action.

Life can change and does change in the millisecond. Places and things can be replaced, but people can't. And what's most important in life, is our relationship with others and how we love our fellow human beings.

Educating ourselves, is key to change, so we can prepare ourselves as much as possible for dramatic change that we need to adapt to. Much of life is beyond our control and we can quickly drive ourselves crazy worrying about the people, places and things that we can't control. Learning to wear the world as a loose garment and to let go, is a very important life lesson, which I know is easier said than done.

Lately I found I kept coming back to a Ideas program I heard with journalist, social-scientist, and human rights activist Kevin Bales who wrote Blood and Earth. Frankly it shocked me, and would have left me feeling pretty hopeless if I hadn't heard his hopeful message of hope in action.

Kara Walker and Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes

The Book of Negroes is going to be broadcast on television as a miniseries, in  2015.

I recently read  the 2008 Commonwealth Writers Prize-winning book: The Book of Negroes by Canadian writer, Lawrence Hill. I am interested in seeing how the miniseries compares to the book. This book is far from a light read, based on fact and fiction. Regardless, I could not put it down and I think it is an important book for everyone to read, as it gives insight into a part of history that most of us, particularly the white Anglo Saxon population, rather not be reminded of such a shameful and painful past.

I see a parallel between Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes, and Kara Walker's art work. Both are factual, and fictional dealing with the historical subject matter of slavery, violence, racism, gender, identity, and the subjugation of one culture over another. These are not "pleasant" topics, none the less, absolutely necessary stories to tell, because if we don't accept, and acknowledge the ugly and shameful parts of our history, it is bound to be repeated and we close ourselves off to change.

Unfortunately, and disturbingly, slavery, exploitation, violence, and injustice is still ever present today, all over the world, and this is the hard reality. For this reason, it is so essential I want to educate myself about history, seen through the eyes of those who have been so unjustly treated, and relate this to still existing injustices, globally.