In the simple and peace-filled beauty of our back patio where I sit under the thatched roof and stare at the blue sky and trees in our backyard while listening to the birds, God is strongly present. This has become a sacred space for me to breathe and just be.
Also on Saturday I finally (after about 5 months of talking about it) participated in my first yoga session with Marcelle and Julie. I loved it! Although it was a little difficult and I had to keep looking at the video because I didn't know any of the moves. But it was incredibly relaxing and centering and I hope to continue practicing with them to develop more comfort and familiarity in order to move beyond the basics. I've been interested in learning more about yoga and its practice for a while and I feel like hopefully I'm finally going to take the time to start practicing.
p.s. I will be on retreat until Friday, March 5th so there won't be any entries until then. But I will be journaling and still have something to say for God's presence in my life each day! Blessings of peace and love.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
La Sagrada 26/2/10
In believing that God is relation, I always find the divine presence in community. Friday night was our last English conversation for this cycle of classes and the house was full of students from the various English classes and levels and even a few people not in class but who come to practice their English. It is always beautiful to see how friendships develop and a sense of community among those who spend time together and are engaged in a common effort; in this case learning English. So through the compartir and sharing and the desire of those present to continue studying and spending time together I saw God's presence at work in the new relationships that develop each cycle.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
La Sagrada 25/2/10
Ok, so I have two for today because I couldn't choose between them, and why should God be limited in any way, right? The first is in Eva, one of the women who I am helping teach read and write on Thursday afternoons with the Good Shepherd Sisters. I have no idea how old Eva is, but she is little, slightly hunched over, with long gray and white hair and covered in wrinkles. I adore her as I do really all of the women I work with. We had been working for about an hour on reading and pronunciation when she started complaining about her head hurting so we took a break. Many of the women often seem to be ill and Eva was sharing with me about her aches and pains and the high cost of medicine and little to no money. She shared that she has weak bones and often feels dizzy or will get the chills too. Although I live with two nurses and a doctor-to-be I myself do not have much medical knowledge. But when she shared that she has low calcium and the supplament pills are very expensive I suggested including more dairy in her diet because I at least know that dairy is high in calcium. She responded saying that milk prices are really high right now and so a lot of the dairy products are too expensive for her to buy. There isn't enough money to eat well, and so she gets sick (as I'm guessing her family does too), but then there still isn't enough money to pay for medicine or treatment when they get sick from not being able to eat well. I sat and listened to her explain this painful cycle that begins and ends with a lack of finances and fosters preventable health problems. This is the voice of Christ suffering in the people of today who have so many factors working against them. This is grinding poverty: when everyone has to work to survive and so no one can go to school and get an education, but there still isn't enough money (or education) to eat well and prevent illness and illness brings more medical expenses that can't be paid or are paid at the sacrifice of other basic necessities like food, clothing, or shelter. In Eva's sharing, and each week from all of the women because I believe they come to share and be listened to as much as to learn, I am awakend to what liberation theologians have called "el pueblo crucificado" and I can see and feel the crosses that have been placed on the people to carry. I think recognizing the cross is one of the first steps to helping remove it.
The second experience I had today is short and sweet. I felt the divine presence quite clearly through the beautiful singing voice of Reylinda, a postulant sister in CCVI who is visiting the community in Chimbote for a month. She taught us a song to sing for Padre Carlos' going away party and from the moment she started singing I was captivated. She has an incredibly beautiful voice that to me seemed like the earth itself was singing. It would be impossible for me to describe without you hearing it, so just know it was powerful. Gracias a Reylinda for communicating God's beauty through your beautiful voice!
The second experience I had today is short and sweet. I felt the divine presence quite clearly through the beautiful singing voice of Reylinda, a postulant sister in CCVI who is visiting the community in Chimbote for a month. She taught us a song to sing for Padre Carlos' going away party and from the moment she started singing I was captivated. She has an incredibly beautiful voice that to me seemed like the earth itself was singing. It would be impossible for me to describe without you hearing it, so just know it was powerful. Gracias a Reylinda for communicating God's beauty through your beautiful voice!
La Sagrada 24/2/10
God came to me today in a little envelope that traveled all the way from St. Louis, MO, USA from my dear friend Katherine. Katherine was my roommate this past summer at Karen House, the Catholic Worker House in St. Louis. Although we spent only 3 months together we formed a beautiful friendship and decided to be pen pals while I am in Peru. It is always such a joyful surprise to receive a letter from someone back in the States because I never know what to expect. God is revealed in the time and love and charity that goes into writing a letter and sharing yourself with another person. The divine is definitely present in our relationship and how we are able to share so much, support, and encourage one another. Thanks Katherine for being a divine presence in my life and for continuing to share through our letter writing!
(If anyone else would like to see their name appear here for writing me an unexpected letter or card, my address is to the left! Mail is always greatly appreciated .... and just a friendly reminder that my birthday is coming up at the end of March.... wink wink ;) lots of love and thanks to all who have written me: Mom, Jeff, Dad, Grandma Abler, Becca, Dan, Kristen Schenk, Trucha (of the Jessica variety), Chmiel (accompanying a fantastic book which is also always appreciated!), Megan Heeney, Katie Cushwa, Estefani 1, Jennie Mertens, and Sister J. You all give witness to the divine in my life! Hope I didn't forget anybody... )
(If anyone else would like to see their name appear here for writing me an unexpected letter or card, my address is to the left! Mail is always greatly appreciated .... and just a friendly reminder that my birthday is coming up at the end of March.... wink wink ;) lots of love and thanks to all who have written me: Mom, Jeff, Dad, Grandma Abler, Becca, Dan, Kristen Schenk, Trucha (of the Jessica variety), Chmiel (accompanying a fantastic book which is also always appreciated!), Megan Heeney, Katie Cushwa, Estefani 1, Jennie Mertens, and Sister J. You all give witness to the divine in my life! Hope I didn't forget anybody... )
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
La Sagrada 23/2/10
Before coming to Peru I had not heard of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement within the Catholic Church, but in doing a bit of research I discovered that it originated in Pennsylvania in the late 60s, so has actually been around for awhile. The parish I work at, St. Francis of Asisi, has its own charismatic group that gathers every Tuesday afternoon for two hours of song and prayer. I have a good friend who helps with the music for the charismatic group and I was intrigued to see what exactly it was like so I went yesterday afternoon. (Yesterday was actually the second time I've gone; I went for the first time 2 weeks ago). One of the powerful things about the Charismatic movement, at least as I experienced it in our parish, is that during their worship services there is a very palbable energy and spirit present. That was probably my favorite part, sitting and being present to the incredible energy created by this group that sang with their whole heart, danced, prayed with honesty and humility, cried, and made sure to greet all those around them. There was a real sense of community amongst all who gathered and even to new faces like mine who weren't regulars.
Latinos (appologizing for the generalization) in my limited experience are very dynamic people, and I think there is a definite need that the Charismatic movement fills in the freedom to relate to God through more dynamic means in song, dance, and spoken prayer. While the whole worship service in general utilizes much of the language or imagery I take issue with in the liturgy as well, the charismatics do much better to include Mary and all three persons of the Trinity instead of solely focusing on God the Father or Jesus. I was also incredibly intrigued by the demographics and roles. It is 95% women who participate in the Charismatic services each Tuesday. It is women who lead the service, who reflect on the scriptures, who offer prayer, and who animate the crowd. From where I stand, I saw the Charismatic movement, at least in this parish, as a space that women have found and claimed for themselves. In this service women have a voice and it is heard and echoed by their sisters. While I still think the voice being spoken is often more of a reflection of the patriarchy of the church ingrained in their psyches, I still recognize the value of a space where women can gather, preach, and lead worship, and I appreciate the Charismatic movement for helping provide that space.
Latinos (appologizing for the generalization) in my limited experience are very dynamic people, and I think there is a definite need that the Charismatic movement fills in the freedom to relate to God through more dynamic means in song, dance, and spoken prayer. While the whole worship service in general utilizes much of the language or imagery I take issue with in the liturgy as well, the charismatics do much better to include Mary and all three persons of the Trinity instead of solely focusing on God the Father or Jesus. I was also incredibly intrigued by the demographics and roles. It is 95% women who participate in the Charismatic services each Tuesday. It is women who lead the service, who reflect on the scriptures, who offer prayer, and who animate the crowd. From where I stand, I saw the Charismatic movement, at least in this parish, as a space that women have found and claimed for themselves. In this service women have a voice and it is heard and echoed by their sisters. While I still think the voice being spoken is often more of a reflection of the patriarchy of the church ingrained in their psyches, I still recognize the value of a space where women can gather, preach, and lead worship, and I appreciate the Charismatic movement for helping provide that space.
La Sagrada 22/2/10
On Monday I went to a movie theater for the first time since arriving to Peru to see the movie Avatar. My mom had recently seen it, and while I really didn't know much going in I was intrigued based on her description. I loved it! For those who haven't seen it, I would highly recommend going as a good thought exercise in our own history and how we treat the world. The wisdom of God that I find so captivating in Ecofeminism was strongly present in the themes and messages of Avatar: recognizing our interconnectedness and dependence on all of creation, maintaining balance, an ethic of mutual care, respect, and harmony. Then there are the powers of patriarchy and anthropocentrism that create and maintain the systems of oppression and domination, that establish heirarchy of power and value, that see the earth and creation and capital to be used for imaginary profit and electronic numbers converted into paper to which we give incredible value. Avatar could be a study in Ecofeminism in itself in its critique of the current dominating and destructive powers and the much needed wisdom of interdependence, mutual care, balance, and equity. The movie was especially powerful having just finished re-reading Ivone Gebara's book on Ecofeminist Theology Longing for Running Water. I also can't recommend this book strongly enough. Read it! And then let's dialogue about where we are going as one family (not just human but all of creation). God is relation, and when we destroy our relationships with one another or with the earth and all living beings we deny the Divine. We instead seek to make ourselves into deities while falsely claiming power in the name of a god who seems to go against all that cultivates, creates, and sustains life. What we believe affects how we act, the choices we make. And I think we would all do well to spend some serious time reflecting on what exactly we believe, what is our image of God, what is our image of ourselves, and how are we living our lives. If there is discord in what you think you believe and how you are actually living, use that opportunity to discover what it is that you actually believe in that is driving your decisions or thoughts. May you have many fruitful discoveries and conversions this Lentan season and always, and may you share all you learn and discover in order to grow as one connected family of life!
paz y amor
paz y amor
Sunday, February 21, 2010
La Sagrada 21/2/10
Well, today I have felt sick all day. I woke up feeling pretty weak and dizzy and have had a terrible headache all day. So I took that as an invitation to care for the divine presence within me and to send some loving gratitude to my body that I often ignore. One of the blessings in being sick or having a specific part of your body ache is that it draws your attention to something you normally take for granted or forget. So today I was acutely aware of my head, eyes, ears, and throat and how poorly I am able to focus and be present when these senses are off. I need to care for my body as much as the larger body of humanity because when one part is off it throws everything else off too.
La Sagrada 20/2/10
This one almost seems to easy, but just because it is expected doesn't devalue the divine presence in any way. I attended my first wedding here in Peru on Saturday and experienced the sacrament, the manifestation of the holy, of marriage Peruvian style. Our youth choir was invited to sing for the mass which took place in Cambio Puente, about 25 min. away. I really appreciated two of the symbols the priest shared with the newly married couple. Since it is the start of Lent he talked about the temptations in life and within marriage and how important it is to stay rooted in the commitment this couple is making to one another and to God in the good times and bad. I thought it was really good that he was so realistic in mentioning different temptations that most married couples face and how to overcome those temptations. The bride chose roses for her bouquet and so the priest also talked about the symbol of the rose and how it has thorns that accompany the beauty. He reminded the couple that life isn't just the beauty of the rose petals but that it has thorns too, and they must work together to get through the hard or painful times that life brings. Overall it was a beautiful and simple ceremony. I saw God's presence in the faces of the newlyweds which contained nervousness, excitement, a little fear, and a lot of love. They were taking a leap of faith not knowing what the future might hold for them but trusting in the divine gift of love to be their strength and their guide.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
La Sagrada 19/2/10
Nothing too profound, the divine was present yesterday in the boring and sweaty task of cleaning the floors as my weekly chore. It is quite hot inside our house (and outside for that matter, but at least outside there is a breeze) and so an hour spent sweeping and mopping and tidying up is not on the top of my list of things I want to do. But, we have chores that we rotate each week and this was my week for cleaning inside floors and living room. And I remembered some of my mindfulness working meditation as I was tempted to grumble and complain about the tedious task. In my mindfulness I felt the Spirit connecting me to the work of many women here in Chimbote, Peru, and the wider world who spend most of their days inside the house creating a clean and safe enviornment for their families. And as the sweat dripped down my face and back I was actually grateful and smiled for the opportunity to be reminded of the daily labor of love or duty that many participate in, and how I too was trying to create a safe and clean enviornment for my community here in Chimbote. Sometimes it's the things we least want to do that can help us to grow and learn more about ourselves and the world.
p.s. As a side note and shout out to the Karen House community in Saint Louis, I just wanted to say that the heat here is still nothing compared to last summer at Karen House. That experience prepared me well for life here in the hot desert climate. :) Love you all and hope you are staying warm this winter and cool in the coming summer!
p.s. As a side note and shout out to the Karen House community in Saint Louis, I just wanted to say that the heat here is still nothing compared to last summer at Karen House. That experience prepared me well for life here in the hot desert climate. :) Love you all and hope you are staying warm this winter and cool in the coming summer!
Friday, February 19, 2010
La Sagrada (The Sacred) 18/2/10
Yesterday's sacred event involved was the death of a young boy (I think maybe 14 years old) in the neighborhood of La Balanza where I teach literacy to older women. I went out with Hermana Pia like normal, but when we arrived in the neighborhood we saw the funeral tent set up outside of one of the houses and a ton of people gathered around. Upon entering the house we normally teach in, only two of the women were present. Carmen began to explain to us that the night before the boy had been hangning out with some friends and (I didn't quite follow all of this) a chicken got loose or ran across the road and the boy went chasing after it. As he bent down to pick up the chicken he was hit by a garbage truck and I'm pretty sure instantly killed. He was being raised by his grandmother which is pretty common around here, and his parents were from the jungle. Carmen is neighbor and a friend of the grandma and wanted to go support her in this time. So we obviously didn't have class as most of the women went to comfort their grieving neighbor in her sorrow. Hermana Pia and I passed by the house and stood witness for a while to the activities and interactions going on. In these precious moments spent standing outside, a silent witness to the incredible pain and grief of a grandmother, mother, family, and friends who suddenly lost a loved one, I was overwhelmed by the presense of God shining through this community. Pia mentioned that the people are incredibly solidary when it comes to loss, and although this is a very poor neighborhood, people would bring a little bit of what they could, maybe some crackers, a bit of rice, some beans, some sugar, to share with the family. The whole neighborhood gathered together to support the family and mourn the loss of this young boy. And in the pain, tears, hugs, and songs God was powerfully present.
Eufemia, the other woman who showed up to class, made a comment that made me struggle with the idea of respecting another's beliefs, offering comfort in a way that is comforting to the other person given those beliefs, and being honest to myself and my own beliefs. She said, in trying to rationalize this boy's death, "Maybe God needed one more little angel in heaven." I understand the human need to make sense out of the seemingly senseless, especially the deaths of young people, and this is how this woman and many others fit events like this into their understanding of life and their religion. But I also couldn't help my immediate reaction of thinking to myself God doesn't pick and choose who dies when and how. What kind of an image of God is that? I understand why many people "lose faith" in the image of God they once held when a loved one unexpectedly dies, because if you believe in an all powerful, all knowledgeable, distinct being who is also supposed to be loving, it doesn't fit into that image that God would not prevent your loved one from dying or worse yet that God would actually want this person to die in this particular way. That isn't my image of God. God is present in all of life, including the death that is inevitably a part of all life. God is present in the very real grief that comes from the separation of relationships and in the relationships of the community gathering together. I don't think there is a good reason for everything that happens, it just happens. But I think that is a hard concept to embrace and does not do much to offer comfort in a time of need. I do believe that in every moment we have the opportunity to choose to live deeply the mystery of being alive, and sometimes that means just sitting with the absense of answers, embracing the dark as a necessary component of its compliment: light. So, all of this was struggling around the idea of my own response to another's need in light of my own beliefs. What did I do? Nothing. I offered a smile, a hug, and willing ears. I didn't think it was the time to get into a theological discussion about who God is. At least I wasn't asked what I thought. So that's a continual struggle here in Peru, but really in any human interaction: how to best love another. Is it more loving to say what they want to hear even if you don't believe it? Is it more loving to be true to yourself and invite an alternative perspective that could potentially offer more growth? Is it more loving to just let be or to provoke a change in thought? My prayer is that in every moment, in every relationship, God gives me the grace to be her presence, her image, her love in the world, whatever form that might take.
Paz y Amor
Eufemia, the other woman who showed up to class, made a comment that made me struggle with the idea of respecting another's beliefs, offering comfort in a way that is comforting to the other person given those beliefs, and being honest to myself and my own beliefs. She said, in trying to rationalize this boy's death, "Maybe God needed one more little angel in heaven." I understand the human need to make sense out of the seemingly senseless, especially the deaths of young people, and this is how this woman and many others fit events like this into their understanding of life and their religion. But I also couldn't help my immediate reaction of thinking to myself God doesn't pick and choose who dies when and how. What kind of an image of God is that? I understand why many people "lose faith" in the image of God they once held when a loved one unexpectedly dies, because if you believe in an all powerful, all knowledgeable, distinct being who is also supposed to be loving, it doesn't fit into that image that God would not prevent your loved one from dying or worse yet that God would actually want this person to die in this particular way. That isn't my image of God. God is present in all of life, including the death that is inevitably a part of all life. God is present in the very real grief that comes from the separation of relationships and in the relationships of the community gathering together. I don't think there is a good reason for everything that happens, it just happens. But I think that is a hard concept to embrace and does not do much to offer comfort in a time of need. I do believe that in every moment we have the opportunity to choose to live deeply the mystery of being alive, and sometimes that means just sitting with the absense of answers, embracing the dark as a necessary component of its compliment: light. So, all of this was struggling around the idea of my own response to another's need in light of my own beliefs. What did I do? Nothing. I offered a smile, a hug, and willing ears. I didn't think it was the time to get into a theological discussion about who God is. At least I wasn't asked what I thought. So that's a continual struggle here in Peru, but really in any human interaction: how to best love another. Is it more loving to say what they want to hear even if you don't believe it? Is it more loving to be true to yourself and invite an alternative perspective that could potentially offer more growth? Is it more loving to just let be or to provoke a change in thought? My prayer is that in every moment, in every relationship, God gives me the grace to be her presence, her image, her love in the world, whatever form that might take.
Paz y Amor
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Miercoles de Cenizas y La Cuaresma
(Ash Wednesday and Lent)
Yesterday marked the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday. As I was reflecting on this Lenten season and what I wanted to get out of it, I initially only thought of myself and how I could use this time to engage in some much needed reflection and preparation to continually embrace who God calls me to be as her created image and the witness I have to live out in the world. But as I thought more about it I realized that my vocation is grounded in a giving of myself through a love that wants to see all come to embrace who they are, who God is, and how we live in light of these beautiful mysteries. So, I have decided to make one of my Lenten promises sharing at least one moment of each day where I was aware of the Holy/Sacred/Divine (fill in with your word of choice) presence with anyone who reads this blog. The reality is that every breath, every vision, every sound, every touch is holy and sacred, but we are not always mindful of the presence of God in each moment. So this is an attempt to awaken myself and hopefully encourage all of you too to the constant presence of the divine within and among us.
Ash Wednesday - 17/2/2010
I spent some beautiful, grace filled time outside in our back patio watching the birds hop and fly around, staring at the green of the plants, the blue of the sky, the white of the clouds, and enjoying the simplicity of joy that this peaceful time of presence and observation brought me. I was reminded of the scripture passage that the birds of the air and the lilies of the field do not worry and receive what they need from the earth. And the earth too has provided us human animals, like all other animals, with all we need to survive. We have food, water, and materials to build and create. But we forget this simple and ancient wisdom; we abuse and reject this freely given gift. And so from trying to make ourselves into gods, into rulers of the earth, we have brought about our own worry and toil in the scarcity of food, clean water, and natural resources and divide up what is left amongst the rich and powerful. I am reminded of Eduardo Galeano's words in decribing Latin America: "...we Latin Americans are poor because the ground we tread is rich, and [the] places priviledge by nature have been cursed by history." What is meant to last decades upon decades is used up in a matter of years for pure greed and profit and the land is left raped and deserted like many of the people who worked the land and were worked by the hungry machine of the corporation. The wisdom of the passage about the birds and the flowers is that God has already always given us what we need, we just need to be aware and start living in harmony with all of life and there is a lot of work to do to heal our Mother Earth and our sacred body.
Yesterday marked the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday. As I was reflecting on this Lenten season and what I wanted to get out of it, I initially only thought of myself and how I could use this time to engage in some much needed reflection and preparation to continually embrace who God calls me to be as her created image and the witness I have to live out in the world. But as I thought more about it I realized that my vocation is grounded in a giving of myself through a love that wants to see all come to embrace who they are, who God is, and how we live in light of these beautiful mysteries. So, I have decided to make one of my Lenten promises sharing at least one moment of each day where I was aware of the Holy/Sacred/Divine (fill in with your word of choice) presence with anyone who reads this blog. The reality is that every breath, every vision, every sound, every touch is holy and sacred, but we are not always mindful of the presence of God in each moment. So this is an attempt to awaken myself and hopefully encourage all of you too to the constant presence of the divine within and among us.
Ash Wednesday - 17/2/2010
I spent some beautiful, grace filled time outside in our back patio watching the birds hop and fly around, staring at the green of the plants, the blue of the sky, the white of the clouds, and enjoying the simplicity of joy that this peaceful time of presence and observation brought me. I was reminded of the scripture passage that the birds of the air and the lilies of the field do not worry and receive what they need from the earth. And the earth too has provided us human animals, like all other animals, with all we need to survive. We have food, water, and materials to build and create. But we forget this simple and ancient wisdom; we abuse and reject this freely given gift. And so from trying to make ourselves into gods, into rulers of the earth, we have brought about our own worry and toil in the scarcity of food, clean water, and natural resources and divide up what is left amongst the rich and powerful. I am reminded of Eduardo Galeano's words in decribing Latin America: "...we Latin Americans are poor because the ground we tread is rich, and [the] places priviledge by nature have been cursed by history." What is meant to last decades upon decades is used up in a matter of years for pure greed and profit and the land is left raped and deserted like many of the people who worked the land and were worked by the hungry machine of the corporation. The wisdom of the passage about the birds and the flowers is that God has already always given us what we need, we just need to be aware and start living in harmony with all of life and there is a lot of work to do to heal our Mother Earth and our sacred body.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Preguntas y Pensamientos
Questions and Thoughts from the last two weeks of classes in Lima:
I don't know if there's hope for the future, but there is life in the present, and as long as there is life in the present that's enough.
I think you have to forget everything you have learned (or put it on a back shelf to be recovered and incorporated later) in order to really be open to someone else or another culture; because they do not come from where I come from, and their world view / structures are unique and not meant to be fit into mine.
Every moment is new, and thus we should be open in every moment to learn something new from another, even if we have known her/him for a very long time, because s/he is always changing like the rest of the world.
You can only accompany if the other person or community invites or accepts you as an acompañante. (I wasn't sure how to translate the noun version of accompany).
To profoundly listen with all of your being is to accept life as it is being presented, with fascination, interest, curiosity, surprise, and humility based in the gratefulness of being present to this moment shared with oneself or another.
How do I see myself? How do others see me? How do I think others see me?
In every moment we are social beings; we communicate something in every moment.
The "shoulds" come from society in order to teach/perpetuate the rules or how to behave and relate with others and within different environments - how to survive.
But is it worth surviving if you're not really living?
If you want to be liked/accepted then you will become who others want you to be, not who you really are.
Paz y Amor siempre
I don't know if there's hope for the future, but there is life in the present, and as long as there is life in the present that's enough.
I think you have to forget everything you have learned (or put it on a back shelf to be recovered and incorporated later) in order to really be open to someone else or another culture; because they do not come from where I come from, and their world view / structures are unique and not meant to be fit into mine.
Every moment is new, and thus we should be open in every moment to learn something new from another, even if we have known her/him for a very long time, because s/he is always changing like the rest of the world.
You can only accompany if the other person or community invites or accepts you as an acompañante. (I wasn't sure how to translate the noun version of accompany).
To profoundly listen with all of your being is to accept life as it is being presented, with fascination, interest, curiosity, surprise, and humility based in the gratefulness of being present to this moment shared with oneself or another.
How do I see myself? How do others see me? How do I think others see me?
In every moment we are social beings; we communicate something in every moment.
The "shoulds" come from society in order to teach/perpetuate the rules or how to behave and relate with others and within different environments - how to survive.
But is it worth surviving if you're not really living?
If you want to be liked/accepted then you will become who others want you to be, not who you really are.
Paz y Amor siempre
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Social Constructions of Roles and Values
I was tempted at first to title this post "Peruvian Reality" but I don't really like the term reality I've decided, at least if it's used in any other context more general than an individual's perspective on the world, because we all form our own reality and world view. So, this is more of a reflection on Peruvian society, labels, and structures mostly from a sociologist who shared his thoughts with me (and a group of people in my course on accompanying youth) this past week in Lima. For the past two weeks I have been attending classes/ workshops on working with youth and youth groups and one of the most important recurring themes was that you have to know yourself, and you have to know each person you are working with or accompanying. So this is a bit of the world I am seeking to imerse myself into and better understand. Although, I think this is true of U.S. society as well.
How would you define youth? (jovenes / juventud)
How would you define adult? (adulto / adultez)
These are important questions in understanding the roles individuals fill in our society and what the system of values and power looks like. The idea behind being an adult is "lo acabado" that you have reached or achieved some desired end. To be "adult" is the ideal. All of life before one becomes an "adult" is spent in preparation to reach this stage. Adult is seen as the future; enforcing the ideal that once I become an adult, then I will be happy, then I will be successful, then I will be important and powerful. There is a hierarchy of societal roles with adult at the top, youth and elderly in the middle, and Infants or children at the bottom. (Although it seems more and more at least in U.S. culture and society the elderly and infirm are placed on the bottom with children).
The term adult implies that one is fulfilling the roles that society values and says one must fulfill to be a full/complete citizen (ciudano en plenitud). The role of the adult includes participation, work, being a mother or father, and having a profession that gives one a special knowledge, a more authoritative voice and opinion. Many of the societal problems that exist such as alcoholism, violence, and theft stem from not being able to fill these societal roles that adults are taught to fill and thus the individual loses their sense of self-worth in the loss of their worth to society.
The role of the youth is to prepare oneself to become an adult. There is a constant focus on the future without giving a value to present and to who the person is in their youth. The idea of "being happy" is that happiness always lies in the future, not in the here and now. Once I get a job, then I will be happy. Once I get married and have a family, then I will be happy. Once I have my own profession and a steady income, then I will be happy.
The term "joven" here in Peru is now used to include anyone from 15 years old - 30 years old. I'm told that as little as 10 years ago it used to be only up to 25 years old. Why such a long time span? Because society doesn't know what to do with the youth. Youth are told to study so they can get a good job, but the years they spend on their education are just a way to prolong the inevitable unemployment. Most who study a certain profession will not be able to find work in their profession here in Peru, and opportunities to immigrate are few. So in order to help delay the unemployment and crisis of employment, society says you need to spend more years preparing before you can fulfill this role of adult, while knowing at the same time that much of that preparation will be in vain and end in frustration, desperation, and depression. Society is educating and preparing youth for a false future of adulthood that they will never realize or be truely happy with because of the other "realities" of unemployment, discrimination, and violence. When many youth realize this myth or fall into that depression they result to joining gangs, assaulting others, or drowning away their disillusionment in drugs and alcohol.
So what to do? Change the system of power and values that says the ideal is "adult" and only adults are full participants in society. Recognize the value of the present instead of constantly waiting for a future that will not be realized in the way it is presented. Involve youth in systems of politics, faith communities, and within their own families. Embrace who they are at each stage of their life and be open to all that we have to learn from one another, whether old or young, rich or power, single or married, educated or illiterate. Youth have energy, creativity, passion, and ideas for change. There is a gift in that they haven't been fully integrated into the larger system yet. They still have a certain freedom and embrace that freedom and struggle against the process of encarceration by the power structures of society. I think we would all have a lot to gain by embracing our own youth, our own power, freedom, passion, creativity, and questions.
I recognize that I have referred to youth as "they" in this reflection and I would still consider myself a youth in many ways. In Peru I am still a joven, but am given more value and power than most jovenes here because I come from the U.S. and work with a religious community. I can see and relate to both worlds of youth and adult based on life experience and roles, but would like to believe that I am in fact still young, and hope to remain with my own passion, freedom, creativity, and questions for as long as I am breathing.
Paz y amor
How would you define youth? (jovenes / juventud)
How would you define adult? (adulto / adultez)
These are important questions in understanding the roles individuals fill in our society and what the system of values and power looks like. The idea behind being an adult is "lo acabado" that you have reached or achieved some desired end. To be "adult" is the ideal. All of life before one becomes an "adult" is spent in preparation to reach this stage. Adult is seen as the future; enforcing the ideal that once I become an adult, then I will be happy, then I will be successful, then I will be important and powerful. There is a hierarchy of societal roles with adult at the top, youth and elderly in the middle, and Infants or children at the bottom. (Although it seems more and more at least in U.S. culture and society the elderly and infirm are placed on the bottom with children).
The term adult implies that one is fulfilling the roles that society values and says one must fulfill to be a full/complete citizen (ciudano en plenitud). The role of the adult includes participation, work, being a mother or father, and having a profession that gives one a special knowledge, a more authoritative voice and opinion. Many of the societal problems that exist such as alcoholism, violence, and theft stem from not being able to fill these societal roles that adults are taught to fill and thus the individual loses their sense of self-worth in the loss of their worth to society.
The role of the youth is to prepare oneself to become an adult. There is a constant focus on the future without giving a value to present and to who the person is in their youth. The idea of "being happy" is that happiness always lies in the future, not in the here and now. Once I get a job, then I will be happy. Once I get married and have a family, then I will be happy. Once I have my own profession and a steady income, then I will be happy.
The term "joven" here in Peru is now used to include anyone from 15 years old - 30 years old. I'm told that as little as 10 years ago it used to be only up to 25 years old. Why such a long time span? Because society doesn't know what to do with the youth. Youth are told to study so they can get a good job, but the years they spend on their education are just a way to prolong the inevitable unemployment. Most who study a certain profession will not be able to find work in their profession here in Peru, and opportunities to immigrate are few. So in order to help delay the unemployment and crisis of employment, society says you need to spend more years preparing before you can fulfill this role of adult, while knowing at the same time that much of that preparation will be in vain and end in frustration, desperation, and depression. Society is educating and preparing youth for a false future of adulthood that they will never realize or be truely happy with because of the other "realities" of unemployment, discrimination, and violence. When many youth realize this myth or fall into that depression they result to joining gangs, assaulting others, or drowning away their disillusionment in drugs and alcohol.
So what to do? Change the system of power and values that says the ideal is "adult" and only adults are full participants in society. Recognize the value of the present instead of constantly waiting for a future that will not be realized in the way it is presented. Involve youth in systems of politics, faith communities, and within their own families. Embrace who they are at each stage of their life and be open to all that we have to learn from one another, whether old or young, rich or power, single or married, educated or illiterate. Youth have energy, creativity, passion, and ideas for change. There is a gift in that they haven't been fully integrated into the larger system yet. They still have a certain freedom and embrace that freedom and struggle against the process of encarceration by the power structures of society. I think we would all have a lot to gain by embracing our own youth, our own power, freedom, passion, creativity, and questions.
I recognize that I have referred to youth as "they" in this reflection and I would still consider myself a youth in many ways. In Peru I am still a joven, but am given more value and power than most jovenes here because I come from the U.S. and work with a religious community. I can see and relate to both worlds of youth and adult based on life experience and roles, but would like to believe that I am in fact still young, and hope to remain with my own passion, freedom, creativity, and questions for as long as I am breathing.
Paz y amor
A few photo highlights
For those of you who don't have facebook, here's just a few of the photos from my trip to Cusco/ Machu Picchu. Enjoy!
Also, please keep the people of Cusco and Augas Calientes in your prayers as there has been a lot of destruction due to heavy rains and flooding. Thanks.
Central Square in Cusco
Me and a llama
A symbol of the three animals that represent the three worlds of the Incas: The condor is the heavens, the jaguar is the earth, and the serpent is the underworld.
The Sacred River which gives the Sacred Valley it's name. This is in Aguas Calientes.
Sarah and I at Machu Picchu. It was pretty rainy all day, but still amazing!
Photos of Machu Picchu
The three windows looking out onto the three worlds.
Sarah and I made the hike up Wayanu Pichu. It was really long and steep, but we did it!
Que la Paz prevalezca en el mundo
May Peace Prevail On Earth
Also, please keep the people of Cusco and Augas Calientes in your prayers as there has been a lot of destruction due to heavy rains and flooding. Thanks.
Central Square in Cusco
Me and a llama
A symbol of the three animals that represent the three worlds of the Incas: The condor is the heavens, the jaguar is the earth, and the serpent is the underworld.
The Sacred River which gives the Sacred Valley it's name. This is in Aguas Calientes.
Sarah and I at Machu Picchu. It was pretty rainy all day, but still amazing!
Photos of Machu Picchu
The three windows looking out onto the three worlds.
Sarah and I made the hike up Wayanu Pichu. It was really long and steep, but we did it!
Que la Paz prevalezca en el mundo
May Peace Prevail On Earth
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