Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Mugabe occupied my thoughts last night.

AN ARTICLE in the Sunday Oregonian by Phil Busse, a Portland-based writer and executive director of the Northwest Institute for Social Change, on Robert Mugabe and his "election" in Zimbabwe got me thinking.
Busse began the article by quoting Thomas Jefferson who warned, "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."
Last night (really, this morning) I awoke at 1:30 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep. I began thinking of the article and wondered what I could do to make a difference.
A piece of artwork came to mind and I could "see" it vividly inside my head.
I do not usually throw around my political opinions or beliefs, but so many in the world are, indeed, remaining silent about a great many things.
I don't know about you, but I feel a change coming. A stirring, and a conscience, in the world again - a gathering closeness and realization of how interconnected we all are.
As Busse also said, "democracy could have flourished in Zimbabwe if tyranny indeed had not been give an opportunity to gain a foothold."
The artwork I have in mind I will keep secret for now, because I've found some ideas don't grow well in the light - femminismo

1 comment:

Candace said...

Jeanne, good on you. Your last two posts have given me a needed boost in my own little direction. On one of my posts of late, I put up my own little "just saying" bit. Like Judith Levine says in "Not Buying It", I want to be a citizen and not just a consumer. By being citizens we really do find time to concentrate on real things such as your wonderful posts here and not 150 dollar shoes that are "must haves".

Your Friend in Athens,
Candace