Anger and Joy--Reflections Part II

New pictures posted. Two from St. Jude's, one from the Nile.

Traffic in Uganda was the opposite, but it was not just driving on the left side of the road. (Although, driving on the left side of the road is also a misnomer as the Mutatus drove where ever they thought the road was less bumpy and traffic was not in their way). No, traffic is opposite, because they operate under the rule of big. If you are smaller than what is going to hit you, you had better get out of the way or you will be hit. Boda bodas got out of the way of cars and trucks, although some came pretty close! And pedestrians and bicycles definitely got out of the way of the boda bodas. In the vehicles I was riding in over the last 6 weeks, I came closer to hitting people, boda bodas, dogs, goats, and you name it. But interestingly after all these close calls, there was absolutely no road rage. No pedestrians ever shook their fist angrily or banged on the hood of the mutatu that missed them by centimeters. They would just look up realize they came close to being hit, and move on down the road.
The Acholi people have suffered a couple of decades of murder, torture, kidnapping, and other atrocities of the civil war, yet as you walk down any street or path. They are smiling, welcoming, and often laugh with you. As I carried on my exchanges of "How are you?", "I am fine" with the little kids. It was enjoyable to see the smiles on the adults as they walked down the same path hearing our conversations. There was a joy that just permeated the town and your dealings with people. (If you need a visual, go look at how happy Moses is with Karl. I wish I could have filmed the excitement I saw on Moses' face when he saw Karl.) I know our students who have gone to Biloxi or other service trips can really appreciate the joy that I am talking about. And it does not come from----I repeat it does not come from, the good White people going to help the poor. But instead it comes from the conversations we have when we realize we are all quite the same. And it is those conversations of two peers, who were strangers a minute ago, that I enjoy the most. Ask those who talked to the homeless or Junior or Papa Pres in Mississippi, those are nice moments of happiness.

We live in a world, where fear is sold each and every day. We must fear the mexicans who are amassing on our borders to steal our jobs, we must fear the turbanned terrorists who will any day now fly a plane into our house, we must fear all people that are different from ourselves. And by keeping Americans afraid, we keep them angry, and we keep them for actually pursuing answers through reading and conversations.

But unfortunately we do not have enough children to point out that the emperor has no clothes. Or we do not listen. The world is a wonderful place with amazing friendly people who love their children, dream about a better future, and cook and clean and sleep and laugh just like us. And these wonderful people that we have not met or have not talked to--are not our enemies. It is only in their dehumanization that we allow ourselves to promote war and bombings and hit squads and torture. We have seen many examples in the last 20 years of people deciding not to hate and to forgive and to build bridges and dialogues where none existed. In Northern Ireland, In South Africa, In Rwanda, and hopefully very soon in Northern Uganda this will happen.

When we are afraid our body produces adrenaline to help us survive as animals would survive. Fear is a survival tactic. When we get angry, our body produces norepinephrine. Its effect is like adrenaline, immediate and it makes us react---"our blood is boiling". The interesting thing is that our body cannot produce norepinephrine for more than 15 minutes or so. Adrenaline it can produce for ever almost. So when we see people who are perpetually angry, it is not anger really. It is their fear producing adrenaline that is masking itself in anger. This has been known for years to teachers, as the biggest bullies, are often the children with the most fear.

And fear is easy to get rid of. I am still teased by my family because I was afraid and refused to ride the Pinocchio ride at Disneyland. I saw a boat going into a whale's mouth!!!
This is funny to anyone with an intellect, who has acquired enough knowledge to know that you cannot be harmed by a plaster whale, but still quite frightening to the child. So instead of embracing the fear and letting it spread across America. The solution is quite simple--if you are in fear of something read a book, a newspaper or two. If you distrust a people or a group, find a way to meet them and talk to them. Joy and laughter are experiences people want to share. And if you have not shared a laugh with a total stranger for quite some time. Then that is your homework assignment tonight, class.

Often, I have no idea where this blog will end up when I start writing. I wanted to express the joy of the Acholi people I met, and how I did not see much anger when I was there (I also did not see many fat people, but that is a different story). I got online and did a little research and although it did not quite fit. I wanted to end with this excerpt from Yeats' Vacillation:

My fiftieth year had come and gone,
I sat, a solitary man,
In a crowded London shop,
An open book and empty cup
On the marble table-top.
While on the shop and street I gazed
My body of a sudden blazed;
And twenty minutes more or less
It seemed, so great my happiness,
That I was blessed and could bless.

I am blessed and I get my greatest happiness when I can bless. Let someone know how much their friendship means to you, how much you appreciate your hard work, or how you can see their talents that they might not yet see.

peace,

John