tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post263078308907544245..comments2023-11-25T02:52:50.396-07:00Comments on Faith in Ambiguity: Into the Tidal Zone Part Two: Making JusticeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644569152748119356noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-12630308571051638562013-10-04T01:55:54.380-06:002013-10-04T01:55:54.380-06:00Loved this: "You're not realistic enough,...Loved this: "You're not realistic enough," people told me. "You can't make them stop."<br /><br />"I know," I told him. "I think I'm still supposed to try."<br /><br />That's really the whole of it in a nutshell, isn't it?<br /><br />My parents were absurdly young when I was born (16 & 18) and went on to have three more children on enlisted military pay. Needless to say, our financial resources growing up were somewhat limited, and as an adult, mine continue to be so. The making of justice I saw at home had mostly to do with my parents, especially my mother, ranting like loons about injustices in the world interspersed with the occasional letter to the editor. It is a tradition I have continued on to some extent though I have tried to supplement it with action when possible (and by possible, I mean when it is not too inconvenient). <br /><br />Like you, I feel there is never a way to do enough and perhaps I sometimes give myself a little too much credit for simply trying. Masked Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08197019009052401812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-47573717941937696142013-07-05T08:52:38.219-06:002013-07-05T08:52:38.219-06:00I can relate so much to this. I also can't aff...I can relate so much to this. I also can't afford to shop at the local places that I would feel better about supporting, and I resist the idea that changing the world is best approached from a consumer perspective, which is some of what I was pointing to above. This is necessarily going to be an elitist and racist approach, given that most people don't have the economic options to shop the way we are "supposed to."<br /><br />What was so valuable to me about the sanctuary experience and for my son about going to Mexico is that it put a human face to making justice. I, and he, knew that something absolutely made a difference. It was right there for us to see. I think I need more experiences like this. There are, of course, lots of opportunities because there is lots of need, and I am disturbed at the extent to which my bubble of reality makes them not-obvious to me.<br /><br />The importance of raising sensitive kids cannot be overstated. I think it's critical. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08644569152748119356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-65334283862934634672013-07-05T07:51:20.318-06:002013-07-05T07:51:20.318-06:00I have often watched shows about people who go to ...I have often watched shows about people who go to other countries and do amazing things and think, "I can do nothing to change the world." I feel very stifled by my circumstance. <br /><br />It often feels like you have to have money to make any change. I can't afford to shop at the local stores and buy local products because they're so much more expensive. I shop at Wal-Mart because it's cheap. And,then, I also think, 'what difference would it make if I stopped shopping there?' <br /><br />As for my religious upbringing, I can't really remember being taught about justice or doing things to change the world. But, I don't know if that's because the Mormon church didn't teach that or if it's because of the bubble my family kept me in. Our church is very involved in many world issues now, and, I have a feeling it's always been that way. <br /><br />What I understand now, because of my religion, and also from the things I've learned in life, is that my best chance at changing the world is by raising children who are strong and sensitive. I hope that by instilling in them the values I hold dear, and by releasing them from the prejudices I learned as a child, that they will be better adults who will find ways to make a change by living good lives. Julie DeMillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17929034148906710834noreply@blogger.com