Twenty years ago, a lovely couple from Nevada decided to up and move to the continent/country/island of Australia. With them went their one year old daughter and unborn son.
Fast forward to the constant packing and moving the little girl endured. Luckily for her, she got to watch her mom carefully wrap the glasses and tape up the boxes, only to be untaped and unwrapped in the next house/country/continent.
Fast forward to the day the little girl graduated high school. Too old to have her parents pack for her, the girl was forced to endure the difficulty of packing. She would slowly find out that there was an art to it that she did not quite possess. And still did not possess in New York, Madrid, or Nevada.
After routinely packing and moving for twenty one years, the girl sits in her little Brooklyn apartment amidst boxes and bags of stuff. STUFF. By this point, she has learned the art of using every spare space in the box, but has adopted an unfortunate habit--nesting. Somehow she has accumulated a full kitchen including (but not limited to) pots, pans, knives, chopping boards, plates, glasses, wine glasses, woks, a rice cooker, coffee maker, tea kettle, toaster oven, and microwave. She has also accumulated a mattress, bedding, and miscellaneous numbers of shoes.
While there is still much to learn about packing, she now believes that she needs to learn how to not accumulate STUFF. Because...in the words of her mother..."you can't take it with you!"
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Water--necessity or luxury?
So. I study international affairs (more or less). A very large part of the study of international affairs is the act of distinguishing between human right and private property. Under heavy dispute: pharmaceutical license, shelter, R2P (right to protection), and water. That's right, water.
That stuff that flows freely from your tap. The sometimes murky/textured liquid that we throw into our Brita filters. The stuff that we are told to drink at least 8 times per day....
Who would think twice?
Water is a basic necessity to survive. A human can't last for long without a drop of water. That's just biology. But then you put a price on it, and all bets are off. I readily admit that I have no knowledge on domestic affairs. International, I am educated enough to have an opinion on most matters...but domestic? Y'all trump me on that one. But there is a difference between ignorance and not researching--I am happy to say that I am not an ignorant person. I noticed when my grandmother was told to sell her water rights and install a water meter. I noticed when my parents screamed over exorbitant water bills. I noticed when neighborhoods were given watering days for lawns. I noticed when a neighbor's water was flowing down the street....So I have noticed that water is not a little issue.
In the Global South, access to water is a luxury. When a tap is available, there are thousands of residents who use it. When a tap is unavailable, populations of people drink from unsanitary water sources--the same sources they place their laundry, waste, and excrement. A high percentage of the world's population is dying from water borne diseases and infections--easily preventable through access to clean water and a bit of education. Today, hundreds of NGOs are working with water and sanitation, trying their darndest to provide access to a clean and reliable source to life's basic necessity.
Then you have the towns that don't own their water rights. Cochabamba in Bolivia auctioned off water rights to Aguas del Tunari. Long story short, the residents were unable to afford water and were prevented from accessing it. My question is: who has the right to prevent another human being from accessing water? Did you make the water? Did you make water a necessity to sustain life? No. No. NO! Sure, you purchased the right to distribute the water, but you can not purchase the water. Water is from nature and when the residents of Cochabamba exclaim that you are "Leasing the Rain," they are 100% correct.
Watch the video. It will make you cringe.
But this is the developing world. They are developing. This is what's supposed to happen. In America, we so don't have that problem. We're, like, totally developed.
Ha.
As the NYC Water Council announces a 14.5% hike in water prices...in comparison, these prices (per month!) are a year's salary to the majority of the world's population. I mean, shoot. The prices per month are my monthly paycheck. Rent has already gone up to an unreasonable extent, electricity is both unreliable and expensive, and now water? I think we humans are being priced out of the world.
So. Human right? Or Private Property?
That stuff that flows freely from your tap. The sometimes murky/textured liquid that we throw into our Brita filters. The stuff that we are told to drink at least 8 times per day....
Who would think twice?
Water is a basic necessity to survive. A human can't last for long without a drop of water. That's just biology. But then you put a price on it, and all bets are off. I readily admit that I have no knowledge on domestic affairs. International, I am educated enough to have an opinion on most matters...but domestic? Y'all trump me on that one. But there is a difference between ignorance and not researching--I am happy to say that I am not an ignorant person. I noticed when my grandmother was told to sell her water rights and install a water meter. I noticed when my parents screamed over exorbitant water bills. I noticed when neighborhoods were given watering days for lawns. I noticed when a neighbor's water was flowing down the street....So I have noticed that water is not a little issue.
In the Global South, access to water is a luxury. When a tap is available, there are thousands of residents who use it. When a tap is unavailable, populations of people drink from unsanitary water sources--the same sources they place their laundry, waste, and excrement. A high percentage of the world's population is dying from water borne diseases and infections--easily preventable through access to clean water and a bit of education. Today, hundreds of NGOs are working with water and sanitation, trying their darndest to provide access to a clean and reliable source to life's basic necessity.
Then you have the towns that don't own their water rights. Cochabamba in Bolivia auctioned off water rights to Aguas del Tunari. Long story short, the residents were unable to afford water and were prevented from accessing it. My question is: who has the right to prevent another human being from accessing water? Did you make the water? Did you make water a necessity to sustain life? No. No. NO! Sure, you purchased the right to distribute the water, but you can not purchase the water. Water is from nature and when the residents of Cochabamba exclaim that you are "Leasing the Rain," they are 100% correct.
Watch the video. It will make you cringe.
But this is the developing world. They are developing. This is what's supposed to happen. In America, we so don't have that problem. We're, like, totally developed.
Ha.
As the NYC Water Council announces a 14.5% hike in water prices...in comparison, these prices (per month!) are a year's salary to the majority of the world's population. I mean, shoot. The prices per month are my monthly paycheck. Rent has already gone up to an unreasonable extent, electricity is both unreliable and expensive, and now water? I think we humans are being priced out of the world.
So. Human right? Or Private Property?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Another year...
University is slowly passing me by. As bills pile up, tuition increases, and my ever changing course of study begins to narrow itself down, I think to myself...why? The answer? Human capital. Somehow we, the people of this lovely country, have been conned into believing that the longer we go to school, the more letters we can append to our name, and the greater the investment into this educational endeavor, the more capital we will have when we enter the "real world."
Democracy, eh?
I gradually buy into this theory--I'm enrolled in a BA/MPA program for goodness sakes. These days, you need a Masters for entry level jobs in the USofA. My yearly tuition is more than my expected salary. Joy.
Despite this great American con, I do need to stop myself daily to think that somehow, I was given parents who see the bills, take a deep breath, have a shot of Jack, and write the check. That's love right there folks. As the tuition increase raises to 6% for next semester and I jet set to Africa, Lord only knows how much love it takes to painfully put a John Hancock on the e-check.
John Sexton--you had better be enjoying those (PLURAL!!!) penthouse Manhattan apartments...for all of us.
Democracy, eh?
I gradually buy into this theory--I'm enrolled in a BA/MPA program for goodness sakes. These days, you need a Masters for entry level jobs in the USofA. My yearly tuition is more than my expected salary. Joy.
Despite this great American con, I do need to stop myself daily to think that somehow, I was given parents who see the bills, take a deep breath, have a shot of Jack, and write the check. That's love right there folks. As the tuition increase raises to 6% for next semester and I jet set to Africa, Lord only knows how much love it takes to painfully put a John Hancock on the e-check.
John Sexton--you had better be enjoying those (PLURAL!!!) penthouse Manhattan apartments...for all of us.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
I Wanted To Change The World
A more eloquent version of the Confucian story I wrote in the last blog...
I Wanted To Change The World
By Unknown Monk, 1100 A.D.
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Be the change you wish to see in the world.-Gandhi
It's funny how my life has "themes."
This has been my theme for the past few years. This will also be the theme of my future.
This correlates to the following Confucian principle: In order to change the world, you have to change your nation. In order to change your nation, you have to change your state. In order to change your state, you have to change your community. In order to change your community, you have to change you friends. In order to change your friends, you have to change your family. In order to change your family, you have to change your self.
I will be the first to admit that plenty of my knowledge has been force fed to me through my education. But not this one. This one actually struck a chord through church, believe it or not. As anti-Church as I am, it did teach me life principles....not so much the church, but the regurgitation of God's word throughout my childhood...at least something stuck. The overarching theme of being the "light of the world."
Eph 5:8-14a (Phi) Once you were "darkness", but now as Christians you are "light". Live then as children of the light. The light produces in men all that is good and right and true. Let your lives be living proofs of the things which please God. Steer clear of the fruitless activities of darkness; let your lives expose their futility. (You know the sort of things I mean; to detail their secret doings is too shameful to mention.) For light is capable of showing everything for what it really is. It is even possible for light to turn the thing it shines upon into light also.
Gandhi makes it more...."politically correct." Sad, eh?
For 18 years of my life, I lived a very secluded life. I still live a secluded life, but thank the good Lord I have changed certain elements. I used to keep my distance from my family, keep loose ties with friends, and not care about my community. Then I moved away. Slowly but surely, I realized that the people who will be there when you have no where else to go are the people in your family. One of the hardest things in my life was to suck it up, put my pride aside, and work on relationships with my family. It took a lot of effort, but slowly I believe that these relationships are growing.
Not to go all mushy on you or anything.
But there are many many things that I realize about myself that I dislike.
Here I am with all of these idealistic dreams, realistic goals, and I have yet to focus on changing myself.
I am not a positive person. I am an extremely flawed person. I am a hypocrite. I complain about everything. Nothing is every good enough. I get unreasonably angry when people don't understand my dayplanner. I get unreasonable angry when my roommate doesn't wash dishes.
How am I supposed to help others?
I read a book last summer and realized something. The only thing that I can do is to be myself. I can be myself and hope that it affects others. Because no matter how much I try to change myself, my family, my community, nation, or world, the most that I can do is be myself. How I represent myself is how people will see me and how people will associate my work. If I am a negative person doing "good" things, that work will take on a negative undertone.
So in order to be myself, I have to learn some things about myself.
This summer I am moving to Reno. After Reno I will be moving to Ghana. A large portion of my moving to Reno is to really get to know myself, come to terms with the personality traits my genes have given me and dilute those traits that I have developed over time. It's a lot. It's necessary. It will take a lot of time. As I described in my Myspace, I need everyone around me the next three months to bear with me. Because I am trying...and that's all that I can do. Try.
The theme for 2008 is Patience and Tolerance. I invite you to join me in the journey.
Namaste.
This has been my theme for the past few years. This will also be the theme of my future.
This correlates to the following Confucian principle: In order to change the world, you have to change your nation. In order to change your nation, you have to change your state. In order to change your state, you have to change your community. In order to change your community, you have to change you friends. In order to change your friends, you have to change your family. In order to change your family, you have to change your self.
I will be the first to admit that plenty of my knowledge has been force fed to me through my education. But not this one. This one actually struck a chord through church, believe it or not. As anti-Church as I am, it did teach me life principles....not so much the church, but the regurgitation of God's word throughout my childhood...at least something stuck. The overarching theme of being the "light of the world."
Eph 5:8-14a (Phi) Once you were "darkness", but now as Christians you are "light". Live then as children of the light. The light produces in men all that is good and right and true. Let your lives be living proofs of the things which please God. Steer clear of the fruitless activities of darkness; let your lives expose their futility. (You know the sort of things I mean; to detail their secret doings is too shameful to mention.) For light is capable of showing everything for what it really is. It is even possible for light to turn the thing it shines upon into light also.
Gandhi makes it more...."politically correct." Sad, eh?
For 18 years of my life, I lived a very secluded life. I still live a secluded life, but thank the good Lord I have changed certain elements. I used to keep my distance from my family, keep loose ties with friends, and not care about my community. Then I moved away. Slowly but surely, I realized that the people who will be there when you have no where else to go are the people in your family. One of the hardest things in my life was to suck it up, put my pride aside, and work on relationships with my family. It took a lot of effort, but slowly I believe that these relationships are growing.
Not to go all mushy on you or anything.
But there are many many things that I realize about myself that I dislike.
Here I am with all of these idealistic dreams, realistic goals, and I have yet to focus on changing myself.
- I live in Williamsburg, in the Hasidic part. I have found myself expressing so much...dislike towards these people. The fact that they, yes as a generality, find themselves to be superior, upholding every stereotype I have ever seen makes me sad. I came into this neighborhood understanding that I was part of the "gentrification," and that I was intruding--but they have left me with such a negative view, I can't be anything but sad. Sad that I myself have the capacity to dislike an entire group of people for the way they act towards me. Sad for this community for being so standoffish and close minded.
- I have allowed myself to become too busy to communicate with others. All it takes is a simple phone call, a random e-mail, just a "hey, how are you doing?" and yet I've become too busy. I wasn't there for people who needed me the most. People that I consider my best friends, people I consider my only constants...and I let them down. I let myself down.
- I am mean to people, men in particular. It is always a game. But here's the thing. I don't like being put on a pedestal. I hate it when people only see the surface. I hate it when people don't take me seriously. I hate it when people think that I am this amazing person, when they think they are so lucky to "have" me. First of all, no one can ever "have" me. Second of all, I am not that amazing. My reaction to this unrealistic view/expectation of me is to retaliate. Not react, retaliate. It's like I'm punishing them for thinking that I am some great person. I mean...in retrospect, that's not very nice.
- I'm selfish. I only do things that make me feel good. And that's not right either. I mean, I want to go into the humanitarian aid field to help people because, as a pure selfish motive, it makes me feel good about myself. How disgusting is that?
I am not a positive person. I am an extremely flawed person. I am a hypocrite. I complain about everything. Nothing is every good enough. I get unreasonably angry when people don't understand my dayplanner. I get unreasonable angry when my roommate doesn't wash dishes.
How am I supposed to help others?
I read a book last summer and realized something. The only thing that I can do is to be myself. I can be myself and hope that it affects others. Because no matter how much I try to change myself, my family, my community, nation, or world, the most that I can do is be myself. How I represent myself is how people will see me and how people will associate my work. If I am a negative person doing "good" things, that work will take on a negative undertone.
So in order to be myself, I have to learn some things about myself.
This summer I am moving to Reno. After Reno I will be moving to Ghana. A large portion of my moving to Reno is to really get to know myself, come to terms with the personality traits my genes have given me and dilute those traits that I have developed over time. It's a lot. It's necessary. It will take a lot of time. As I described in my Myspace, I need everyone around me the next three months to bear with me. Because I am trying...and that's all that I can do. Try.
The theme for 2008 is Patience and Tolerance. I invite you to join me in the journey.
Namaste.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
the lofted bed
Once upon a time a girl named J thought, "Hey, a lofted bed would be SUCH a great idea for my slightly small room!" So she went to Ikea with her mother and roommate and picked herself up a Tromso loft.
3 months later, J returns from a summer filled with China, Hawaii, Napa, and Reno to a trashed apartment in the middle of summer with the wrong key. When J finally gets into her apartment she steps into a wasteland of mold, wrappers, dirty dishes, garbage, and flies. J cries. And calls her mom. When she looks into her room, she sees that it is FILLED with boxes, none of them hers.
A few weeks later, the room is ready for the loft. J gets started building the loft bed all by herself. In case no one is aware of this, J has decided that she needs to start learning handy-man things so that A) She can really take care of herself in her future life alone, and B) So that she can work abroad as an Admin. Anyway. Several hours later, the loft is up. The mattress is up. And she sleeps.
5 months later she realizes that she never leveled the bed, hence the creaking, hence the constant feeling of being sideways. She levels the loft with some textbooks.
Now, it is May. J to move back to Nevada and realizes--crap! She has a lot of stuff! So at about 2am she posts an ad on Craigslist to sell the bed. The very next day she gets several responses. The day after that, she picks the most professional of the bunch. This was Thursday, and the guy would like to pick it up on Saturday.
J gets home at 11 and realizes that she won't have time to take it down on Friday or Saturday. So....she gets to work.
An hour later, the loft is down. Let's just say that the entire bed fell down on top of her at one moment in a very picturesque way.
J her room, stuck her mattress on the floor, and taped up the pieces of the loft. It is now Saturday and the lucky new owners are coming to pick it up.
J realizes that she never really needed the lofted bed in the first place. Shucks.
:)
3 months later, J returns from a summer filled with China, Hawaii, Napa, and Reno to a trashed apartment in the middle of summer with the wrong key. When J finally gets into her apartment she steps into a wasteland of mold, wrappers, dirty dishes, garbage, and flies. J cries. And calls her mom. When she looks into her room, she sees that it is FILLED with boxes, none of them hers.
A few weeks later, the room is ready for the loft. J gets started building the loft bed all by herself. In case no one is aware of this, J has decided that she needs to start learning handy-man things so that A) She can really take care of herself in her future life alone, and B) So that she can work abroad as an Admin. Anyway. Several hours later, the loft is up. The mattress is up. And she sleeps.
5 months later she realizes that she never leveled the bed, hence the creaking, hence the constant feeling of being sideways. She levels the loft with some textbooks.
Now, it is May. J to move back to Nevada and realizes--crap! She has a lot of stuff! So at about 2am she posts an ad on Craigslist to sell the bed. The very next day she gets several responses. The day after that, she picks the most professional of the bunch. This was Thursday, and the guy would like to pick it up on Saturday.
J gets home at 11 and realizes that she won't have time to take it down on Friday or Saturday. So....she gets to work.
An hour later, the loft is down. Let's just say that the entire bed fell down on top of her at one moment in a very picturesque way.
J her room, stuck her mattress on the floor, and taped up the pieces of the loft. It is now Saturday and the lucky new owners are coming to pick it up.
J realizes that she never really needed the lofted bed in the first place. Shucks.
:)
Friday, May 2, 2008
I'm really bad at this.
So it is officially May.
I am a busy person...I like being a busy person...but this is just ridiculous!
This past semester, this has been my weekly schedule:
Monday: 9-5 intern at MSF; 5-9 Graduate classes; 9-10 Yoga
Tuesday: 9-4 MSF; 5-9:10 classes; run to some grocery store open after class
Wednesday: 9-1 MSF; 2-5 class (from hell); give blood when eligible; 6-7 yoga; 7-9 group meeting
Thursday: 9-11 class; 11-5 MSF; 5-630 class; either yoga or some mundane job for cash til 3am
Friday: 9-6 babysitting until the parents split. Then it turned into laundry day/run around doing tasks I didn't get to.
Saturday: cleaning/yoga/laundry/groceries
Sunday: yoga/finish school work/group meeting
As one can see, there is no time for life. Sigh.
But as one can also see, I do it to myself. If I were a normal college student, I would sleep until class, go to class, go home, party, etc. I don't believe that I am 21. I believe that I am about...oh...40. Hm....
I will write a more substantial post tomorrow.....<3
I am a busy person...I like being a busy person...but this is just ridiculous!
This past semester, this has been my weekly schedule:
Monday: 9-5 intern at MSF; 5-9 Graduate classes; 9-10 Yoga
Tuesday: 9-4 MSF; 5-9:10 classes; run to some grocery store open after class
Wednesday: 9-1 MSF; 2-5 class (from hell); give blood when eligible; 6-7 yoga; 7-9 group meeting
Thursday: 9-11 class; 11-5 MSF; 5-630 class; either yoga or some mundane job for cash til 3am
Friday: 9-6 babysitting until the parents split. Then it turned into laundry day/run around doing tasks I didn't get to.
Saturday: cleaning/yoga/laundry/groceries
Sunday: yoga/finish school work/group meeting
As one can see, there is no time for life. Sigh.
But as one can also see, I do it to myself. If I were a normal college student, I would sleep until class, go to class, go home, party, etc. I don't believe that I am 21. I believe that I am about...oh...40. Hm....
I will write a more substantial post tomorrow.....<3
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
