When Thailand Gal offered to send her readers five individual, thought-provoking questions I thought, "Oh, sure. How hard can they be? It'll be fun." Little did I know ...
1) You are God. What would you change in the blink of an eye? Oh, man. Climate change? Hunger? All war to cease for all time? I think I'll go with ending war, forever. It's over, done, obsolete. The business of war sucks up so many resources that could be used to feed, house, and educate people. And how war affects the Earth's climate has not even begun to be discussed.
2) What is your definition of "freedom"? And I thought the last one was hard! I cheated. I went to the dictionary, and this is the definition that most suited what I think of as "freedom."
• Freedom: absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government (my italics).
3) What would you consider to be the major epiphany of your lifetime? Now this one is easy. It was definitely the death of my daughter Sophie. Her life and death taught me in no uncertain terms that it's ALL about love.
4) What is your touchstone? My upbringing, to be uncompromising and unflinching in my dedication to nonviolence and justice.
5) Describe yourself as a kid. How did you perceive the world? Me, as a kid: Skinny, youngest of 6. Quirky, creative. I spent long hours building houses in the backyard for my troll dolls or painting with watercolors in my room. I was a "thing finder" (like Pippi Longstocking. It serves me well now, as a kindergarten teacher.) My perception of the world? You know how when you're a kid you generalize your reality to the rest of the world? I assumed that everybody's parents supported Dick Gregory for president, played recorders, listened to Tom Lehrer and went to Socialist Party picnics. Beyond that, I perceived the world as a wide open and interesting place, full of possibilities. We took long trips every summer, out to the west coast many times, to Canada, camping across Europe in a VW bus in 1968, and to Japan & Korea in 1974. We also hosted many travelers from other countries. My family was not without its own peculiar dysfunctions (20+ years of therapy have helped me come to terms with the harder parts,) but on the whole it was pretty stable and a particular set of values was most definitely instilled.
Okay, anyone else who reads this and wants to answer those questions for themselves, feel free.
9 comments:
I love that you are a thing finder and adore the Pippy reference, she was one of my heroes growing up!
Although I have a warrior's spirit, I honour your dedication to non-violence.
You listened to Tom Lehrer? I can see how he's shaped your values system!
Thanks for your thoughtful answers. The questions posed by your friend are really excellent ones.
Tom Lehrer, yes. I was disappointed that nobody performed his Irish song at the Quaker Men Who Cook event: "She cut her baby brother in two, served him up in an Irish stew, and invited the neighbors in ..."
Hi Luminiferous,
You did a nice job answering those questions honestly and with your characteristic twist. My favorite answer was the last one. I somehow never thought of you as a kid. I thought you just materialized in the universe as an 8th grader in 1972.
And just to make you feel better, actually everyone around you WAS listening to Tom Lehrer and playing recorders and attending Socialist picnics and driving around Europe in a VW. No fathers ever wore socks in those days. Everything has changed now. It's just that you are the only one who actually remembers.
Loved your answers! I think I would have enjoyed growing up around socialists. Since I am one, it would have been somehow more affirming ~ more inclusive ~ to feel surrounded by likeminded others.
Peace,
~Chani
Upon reflection, can't a person have a 'warriors spirit" AND be dedicated to non-violence? Was not Gandhi a warrior? Is the Dalai Lama a warrior? Was Molly Ivins a warrior? Susan B. Anthony? MLK? Luminiferous Ether herself?
Actually, Suzy, at the Quaker Men Who Cook, we were thinking about singing "Be Prepared", but Bob N refused to put on a Boy Scout uniform and dance......
Potato Print ... it's like our mutual friend Tari, who burst into my consciousness as a red-haired adolescent in a leotard with silver stars pasted to it, climbing the walls of the Unitarian Church to the strains of Bridge Over Troubled Water. ("Sail on Silver Girl ...")
At my dad's funeral, someone included his blue ankles in their eulogy! I DID think that fathers on bicycles with long pipes clenched in their teeth and no socks was normal.
Tomorrow is his birthday, BTW. He'd be 88.
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