Thursday morning we had a big celebration for the Día de Padre Wasson, who was the Catholic priest who founded the first NPH home in Mexico. Anyway, one thought from that celebration that's been stuck in my head was a comment along the lines of:
"Everyone in the world is made in God's image, and thus all of us are perfect as we are."
I feel like, for me, this idea is just another way to help me to try to be open to things as they are, and work to make things better from a place of respect, empathy, and solidarity, rather than a place of frustration (where I've often been finding myself).
Because if we are all made in God's image (no me importa which God it is, though), then that means that the 'annoying 8th graders who don't want to pay any attention and learn this super easy grammatical construction' are God's image. So, God must be an annoying 8th grader sometimes, and God must also be the annoying younger kids who, after every single question on their tests, wanted me to tell them whether it was right or not. And, if that means I'm also made in God's image, then the crazy scheduling mistakes I made on friday are also, for some reason or another, a manifestation of that perfection.
I guess the idea is, no matter how annoying the kids here are, or how many mistakes I or anyone else make, this is just a reminder that they can be seen as perfect for being who they are. Not that this means we can't be better in a lot of ways-- just that no matter how bad someone might seem, they can still be respected and appreciated...
(Hope in the Dark, a book I recently finished (and which I think I talked to almost everyone I know about) which explores how social change happens in surprising and subtle ways, talks a lot about being being open to the change that happens through people or means that you wouldn't expect-- and seeking out alliances that accomplish that. I feel like this thought is in a similar vein...)
I've also just started reading The Little Prince (El Principito, in Spanish), and I think there's a connection to its discussion of how adults are too serious and miss the possibilities that the world holds in favor 'reasonable' things. That is, if you could see all things in the world as perfect as they are (or, as little kids do, without judgement), then I'd imagine everything would be infinitely more enchanting.
As I've been catching up on your posts on kids' creativity and resourcefulness in countering adult authority, I wanted to share a story from this past week: my siblings and I had made arrangements for our kids to spend a week together at a camp in my parents' town - a week of cousinly togetherness, with activities organized by people other than ourselves, the perpetually harassed parents.
ReplyDeleteOn the third day of camp, the kids staged a rebellion, catalyzed by one of the five year olds. Instead of going in for the organized swim sessions, organized art sessions, and organized "chill sessions," they parlayed their grievances (ranging from "my tummy hurts!" to "I'm just sick of camp!") through another one of the five year olds, who himself actually wanted to go to camp so was probably seen as the most effective messenger for the collective.
A compromise was reached: 3/4 of the group ended up going to camp: the one who declared himself just sick of it all had the best time that day; the original upstart went back to the grandparents' house, where she revealed that her actual goal was to go shoe shopping.
I'm still trying to figure out what the moral of this story is, but it has something to do with figuring out what structures and frameworks make it possible for good things to happen, whether it be work or play (and thinking about this from a culture in which play is being cast more and more like work); seeing how early we learn to veil our desires and motives in order to contend with those with power and authority in our lives; recognizing the power of collective movements from the perspective of the oppressor rather than the oppressed and being compelled to rethink my understanding about what is the common good, given that I usually see it wholly from my own vantage point.
Thus, I'm thinking of the work that you're doing to honor the fullness and perfection of the folks with whom you're working, in part by passing along those tools and strategies that will enable them to mend what is broken -- in our lives, in our families, in our communities, in our societies. This encompasses grammar lessons, learning how to play well with others, and experiences in collective organizing -- and here I'm realizing, a la Solnit, that often, as we think we're imparting one thing the kids are learning something else entirely.
Sending you much love and best wishes as you continue your work!
That's a powerful comment from the priest, that we're all made in God's image. It can be dangerous to push that idea to young people too much though, because it can stifle growth and continue the "I am the ISH" mentality that a lot of teenagers (in the States, from my perspective) have. Then again, tough exteriors hide fragile interiors, so maybe teenagers need to hear that they are supported for who they are.
ReplyDeleteThis comment also make me see God as a human, with faults, just like all of us. Thus, being in God's image means making mistakes and learning from them. That might mean effing around in class and getting that low test grade because you spent too much time talking to peers (me in my high school astronomy class) or taking out my stress on a student and apologizing the next day (me at Parkway). I think that as long as we learn, we are staying in God's image.
On another note, freedom from judgment is a powerful way to live. That's the beauty of childhood: it is acceptable to talk to seemingly crazy people on the train, pick your nose because you feel like it, cry because you feel like it, ask questions about everything. However it is an idealistic way to live; I wish it could work that we live like this but part of being an adult is having to leave some of this behind to fit into social norms. Not all of it though, we each choose what we need to remain sane.
Man, I used to want to throw a big blanket over all my students and just protect them from the crazy world. I want to throw the blanket over you and your students too! Continue being safe, learning, growing, and having fun!
SD