Donna’s Response to LER #4

      

This class has changed the way I understand and view the world around me.  As I have said before, I feel this class pulled my head out of the sand and has gently encouraged me to have a closer look at the world we live in.  I have chosen to share some of my learning from this class via this power point presentation. The song title – From a Distance by Bette Midler – describes how I was looking at the world around me before I signed up for ED870.  From where I was standing – from the distance I was at – things looked OK so all was good in my world.  This class helped me to decrease the distance and allowed me to have a closer look.  Once I had moved closer I was able to see the many endless social injustices more clearly.  It has been very upsetting to discover just how comfortably blind I have been all these years.  It is shameful that it has taken a class to move me into this position but I am grateful to have made this journey. 

            The song speaks of not understanding why things are as they are.  I feel I am still trying to work out the reasons behind the many social injustices.  Our class has enlightened me in this regard but I am still struggling with many aspects of this.  I don’t know how the people that control the power can sleep at night? I don’t understand the gross misuse of this power.  Misuse to the point of hurting other human beings and our environment knowingly!  How can anyone or any group be that power hungry?

            “We are all instruments marching in a common band” brings a couple thoughts to mind.  Are we playing the instruments and freely choosing the tune and heading off on our march or are we the instruments being played?  Are we being forced to play the transnationals’ song and do they have us moving on their carefully orchestrated treadmill?  And are we really going anywhere if we are on a treadmill? I fear it is the later and it is time we all get off the treadmill!

            When you take a closer look, the planet is not blue and green but filled with pollution of all kinds.  The snow is not white and our rivers are not meeting the stream.  Will there be any eagles left to take flight?  “No guns, no bombs, no disease, or hunger.”  The pictures I have put together for this presentation graphically depict just how wrong all this thinking is.  There is hunger, guns, war and disease and many other autrosities occurring in our world today.    

            The song also speaks about the voice of hope and of peace.  I need to be that voice of hope and peace.  As Bill Ayres says – we all need to take some sort of action and connect it with someone else.  This was echoed by all our presenters.  We have the potential to change the world if we work together.  

            The song goes on to say how God is watching us.  Another words, we are accountable to whatever higher being you believe in.  Our creator and mother earth are watching our actions and counting on us to help inspire the positive changes needed in our world. 

            The following quote describes so much of what I have experienced in this class.  Powerful words in which we can all learn from and live by!   

            The trouble is that once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And once you’ve seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There’s no innocence. Either way, you’re accountable.

                                                                                                                    ~Arundhati Roy

I have seen it and can not unsee it, and therefore need to speak out!

 

Bette Milder was not available to sing the lyrics to this song and so I have attempted to fill in for her.  By the way, I have never recorded myself singing let alone put it out there for others to listen to!  Pretty scary stuff!    

 

Thanks to all my classmates and to Marc for taking this journey with me!        

 

Donna