I've traveled around this sun of ours for almost seven decades now, and almost every year I think that I have a good understanding of how the world works. And almost every year that confidence is blown apart by something someone says or rights that opens my eyes wider.
Thank you for your passion for justice and examining systems and behaviors in the social spheres to show us how small actions from deep within a system can have such powerful and negative impacts, from the system that built parallel systems to handle the simple aspect of providing drinking water to all people to "tidying up sidewalks" in such a way as to make them hostile to the most vulnerable and easily targeted among us as a way to push them out of sight and mind.
That a government would go out of its way at great cost to line a sidewalk with heavy, expensive boulders, rendering the sidewalk difficult to use for all as a way to keep homeless people from feeling as if there's a place for them in the city, seems an extraordinary waste of money and a corruption of the original meaning of a sidewalk--a place to walk protected and isolated from traffic--but as long as it hurts the vulnerable more, it's a worthy cost, I guess.
I'm grateful to know you through your works, and grateful that you are with us with your passions and your awareness of what's going on around us. And I'm grateful that you are trained and skilled to do this so powerfully and with the authority that comes from study, analysis, and presentation.
What an extraordinary gift you are to all of us, and what a wonderful thing you do to help us become more aware of the least among us so that as we seek to build that Beloved Community, we look to the least to bring them to the place of dignity and hope.
What a touching, wise and moving write up as always Terence. I always learn so much from you. I can't imagine what your grandfather went through. I'm so glad you had him. Thank you for teaching us.
I've traveled around this sun of ours for almost seven decades now, and almost every year I think that I have a good understanding of how the world works. And almost every year that confidence is blown apart by something someone says or rights that opens my eyes wider.
Thank you for your passion for justice and examining systems and behaviors in the social spheres to show us how small actions from deep within a system can have such powerful and negative impacts, from the system that built parallel systems to handle the simple aspect of providing drinking water to all people to "tidying up sidewalks" in such a way as to make them hostile to the most vulnerable and easily targeted among us as a way to push them out of sight and mind.
That a government would go out of its way at great cost to line a sidewalk with heavy, expensive boulders, rendering the sidewalk difficult to use for all as a way to keep homeless people from feeling as if there's a place for them in the city, seems an extraordinary waste of money and a corruption of the original meaning of a sidewalk--a place to walk protected and isolated from traffic--but as long as it hurts the vulnerable more, it's a worthy cost, I guess.
I'm grateful to know you through your works, and grateful that you are with us with your passions and your awareness of what's going on around us. And I'm grateful that you are trained and skilled to do this so powerfully and with the authority that comes from study, analysis, and presentation.
What an extraordinary gift you are to all of us, and what a wonderful thing you do to help us become more aware of the least among us so that as we seek to build that Beloved Community, we look to the least to bring them to the place of dignity and hope.
Thank you so much for this note. And, thank you for taking time to read this piece my friend.
What a touching, wise and moving write up as always Terence. I always learn so much from you. I can't imagine what your grandfather went through. I'm so glad you had him. Thank you for teaching us.
Sarah, thank you for being here! Thank you for reading my words. I’ll tell my grandfather (who is still alive) you said hello :)