GLOBAL CONNECTION THROUGH PAIN? | PEOPLE
IN THE STREET SAY: |
NAME: MANUEL | AGE: 29 | HOME: FAYETTE ST, SYRACUSE | SELF-ID:PUERTO RICAN MAN |
Is the grief and
despair of the world connected to the grief and despair in your life?
Yes. My grief and despair is mostly about the safety of our streets.
It's dangerous to walk on the street. If you are walking with your children,
you are even more endangered. This is destruction of the world. This
is violence. Lurking around the corner is nothing but trouble.
What do you do that brings positive change to this destruction?
An action I take upon myself is to confront people doing this, tell them to
find something else to do, so the street can be safer for everyone. I was real
scared at first, but not anymore. I know I'm doing this for everyone, so I'm
less sad and scared about it.
NAME: JULIE | AGE: 42 | HOME: TOUMEY ABBOT TOWERS | SELF-ID: AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN |
I have a mental disorder. I am a
paranoid schizophrenic, I saw the doctors this past week, they gave me new meds
to control my voices. This is the pain of the world. How
does the destruction of the natural world affect you? It makes me
very sad for everybody's situation. They should redistribute land and
give everybody some, equally. What uplifts you in times of
sadness? I pray. You gotta keep your spirit up the whole day
long. DON'T GIVE UP, you gotta keep going.
NAME: JAMIE WRIGHT | AGE: 27 | SELF-ID: AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN IN CULINARY ARTS, NURSING |
My connection to the planet's grief and despair comes from the destruction of the natural rainforest. It is very important to preserve all of life on this planet. Abusing life constricts us to perceive differences between cultures. My spiritual vitality is deprived by all this. They are cutting into my own body - a part of us they are taking away from us. I'm obligated to do something plant more trees, that's the least we can do. The first step to get something done as a culture, as a people, is to acknowledge this destruction is hurting us all. One way to do this is through Music - the universal language!
NAME: ISAIAH WRIGHT | AGE: 1 | HOME: FAYETTE ST, SYRACUSE | SELF-ID: AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN |
The local election troubles me. So
many electoral candidates make policy without talking to The People first. We
can only voice our opinion through voting. I have despair in the issue of homelessness.
They tell us "produce a better life - own a business" and stuff, when
they need to focus on us having homes. When I get real sad, I stay positive;
get the word out about people like me and you. We tryin' to change the world,
make a difference. When I feel hopeless and powerless, I try my best to help
others. When I do, I've achieved something, so I don't get stressed about
the world. Stay positive!
NAME: SEAN | HOME: THIS "SEWER" (SYRACUSE) FOR OVER 40 YEARS | SELF-ID: CANADIAN WHITE MAN |
How do I deal? Well, I can't do anything
about the war, that's somebody else's thing. I play hockey. If we got a game
that night, hopefully we take our frustrations out on the other guys;
hopefully we bang them harder than they bang us. I can't
control what Bush and his buddies do to the rest of us, so we just go out, bang
bodies. The first time I lost a part of the natural world was when I saw an
animal I loved get killed; somebody drove over it and left it in my friend's
yard. I was six years old. I wish I knew who did it. I would stick him
in the street and run him over. What can I do about it now? (Very
sad. Tears in his distant eyes). Allow yourself to imagine
right now "I could make this world a better place." What would you
do? Impeach Bush. Be part of a jury doing that. Like a Ref - time's
up, GOODBYE GEORGE.
"People on the Street Say" is a city-wide Listening Project. This month's segment is inspired by systems theory in Joanna Macy's Work That Reconnects (tWTR). Hannah Cass, the listener, identifies as a 24-yr old Queer Anarchist, Korea/USA Womyn who is very curious about the workings of other people's minds and hearts. A young sprout in the local tWTR group, she has grown roots in Syracuse for the last three years and is on the path to midwifery.