I set this blog up a couple of weeks ago with the intention to begin writing right away. That, of course, didn't happen. The recent protests in Baltimore, however, have ignited a light inside of me, and though I can't say that I feel particularly "inspired" to write
{My writing teacher in high school used to tell us that we couldn't wait for inspiration - "Writing begets writing."}, I do feel that to do so might ease a bit of tension off my tired shoulders.
I've been stuck in Western, PA for the large majority of my short adult life. Originally, I lived closer to the Eastern part of the state, and the city of Baltimore was a short drive--no more than an hour and a half--down the road. As a kid, I loved the attractions. The aquarium was magnificent as were the row of restaurants and shops running across the bay area. It wasn't until I took a trip to the city in my freshman year of college that I had ever experienced the "bad" part of town.
{Growing up, we never had a lot of money, but we always got by alright. I lived in a single-family home that was big enough to hold four children and two parents and had a yard with plenty of space for running and playing. Neither of my parents had ever lived in an area more concentrated than the suburbs, and so places that were overcrowded, dingy, run-down looking, etc. were referred to as the "bad" parts of town and were avoided when possible. I've had four years of scholarship in the area of Cultural Studies which has allowed me to reevaluate such titles, but as this is how I viewed the place while I was in it, I will continue to refer to it as such for the next moment.}
On that trip, I was finally able to appreciate and love all of Baltimore. I could appreciate its beauty, its cultural diversity, the way that the city constantly seemed busy and calm at the same time. And I could appreciate that every corner of the city was both good and bad, in its own way. There was no "bad" part of town, and for that, there was no "good" part of town either. It was all just--Baltimore, and it was beautiful.
So as I'm watching my twitter feed explode with pictures and videos of such a beautiful city being torn from limb to limb, my heart is frozen in shame and hurt.
Surely, we should not live in a world where protests against police brutality and race rights are still necessary. We should not live in a world where so much anger and hurt causes us to lash out to a point where we can't control it. We should not live in a world where it takes death, or rioting, or setting fires, or murdering for somebody to speak up and make a difference.
I wish with all my heart that peace would fill Baltimore, and that the weary there would find rest. I wish that no one else would have to be hurt there, or anywhere, because
the truth is--what makes Baltimore and the rest of the world so beautiful--is not the drug store that's been burned down, or the bay that's lit up tonight, even in the dark, or the aquarium, or the shops--but its people.
We are all one. PL&E
