I've been anticipating seeing Fancy Rhino's documentary of the historic Howard School for nearly the entire summer. What I hadn't anticipated was being so emotional broken by the film, the students and their stories, and my own sinful nature. If you have the chance....WATCH IT! One of the most beautiful parts of the evening for me was hearing Mimi talk about Elie Wiesel's speech "The Perils of Indifference." I memorized a portion of it for my senior seminar class with Mr. Mulqueen (my own Mr. West) and haven't thought about it in quite a while. The thoughtfulness of all the Howard students that came up to campus tonight was amazing. I honestly believe that they have so much potential, and gifts greater than my own in areas. I can't wait to taste
D'Angelo's chocolate at the Chattanooga Market. I will be praying for them all as they pursue success (defined by them as the ability to turn around and give back, stability enough to pull up their peers). I am encouraged by them. I will continue to be. What an awesome community God has blessed me with! I'm still reeling from this experience, and I pray that God would fuel more questions in my heart about my role as a white middle class Covenant student on the mountain. In what ways can I pursue relationships and friendships in contexts that are unlike my own and drag me out of my comfort zone? As Derelle kept saying, "Time is more important than money."
Some quotes from "The Perils of Indifference" :
Gratitude is a word that I cherish. Gratitude is what defines the humanity of
the human being.
What is indifference? Etymologically, the word means "no difference." A
strange and unnatural state in which the lines blur between light and darkness,
dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, cruelty and compassion, good and evil.
What are its courses and inescapable consequences? Is it a philosophy? Is
there a philosophy of indifference conceivable? Can one possibly view
indifference as a virtue? Is it necessary at times to practice it simply to keep
one's sanity, live normally, enjoy a fine meal and a glass of wine, as the world
around us experiences harrowing upheavals?
Of course, indifference can be tempting -- more than that, seductive. It
is so much easier to look away from victims. It is so much easier to avoid such
rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. It is, after all,
awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person's pain and despair. Yet,
for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence.
And, therefore, their lives are meaningless. Their hidden or even visible
anguish is of no interest. Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction.
At the forum after the screening Howard Principal Paul Smith said, "It's nice to be important; but it's more important to be nice."
