Thursday, September 12, 2013

9/11- Reflection on the Journey of Equality

September 11th, 2013, I chose to spend the evening at the temple.
No, I too have not forgotten the horrific attack. Thoughts and
emotions brought me back to my sophomore year English class
analyzing Merchant of Venice, the cruel desire of bloodshed in
connection with massacres. The Holocaust, Nanjin (2nd WW),
Khmer Rouge, June 4th Tiananmen Square, Mao’s cultural
revolution in China, and Rwandan Genocide left scares on our
history as tragic reminders of what have repeatedly happened when
a group of people with power placed themselves above other
human beings. 

No, I will not forget.

The quest of equality roots deeply in my life. I was 2 years old when I
went on my first public demonstration supporting the students
protesting at Tiananmen Square. I have gritted my teeth through
movies like “Paradise Now”, “Hotel Rwanda”, and “To Live” painfully
understanding the price of freedom. Instead of finishing my last
semester with tons of beach time, I took on the conflict resolution
and intercultural peace-building curriculum studying the conflict of
Israel and Palestine and becoming a mediator.


It matters to me.

The question “How can you avoid being bias?” is often asked of
therapist. Impartiality has never seemed possible to me because
we are inevitably affected by the way we’ve been raised and
educated. Our epistemology serves as a lens which we perceive the
world through it. “Multi-partial” is my goal to seek understanding of
all parties in both micro and macro views. The best way for me to
tackle my bias is to admit it and recognize it. It became crystal clear
as I found myself empathizing a suicide bomber and seeing his
humanity as I watched “Paradise Now”. No, but that does not mean
that I concur with what they do.

What do I do about it?

When I walked in to the temple last night, the weight of uncertainty
struck me hard and my mind was inundated with overwhelming
emotions and questions. A little to my surprise, I did not receive any
answers for myself but becoming a solution for someone else as I
walked out.

That’s the beauty of it.
We love, we learn, and we educate.
We change one heart, one mind at a time.

I wish one day you and I can both see things beyond gender,
ethnicity, culture, religion, and politics.


But before that,
shall we not go on in so great a cause?

K.D.

2 comments:

  1. This was a powerful post--thanks for sharing! I also look forward to the day that we as human beings someday learn to see things beyond divisive factors. I have found myself stretching and changing as I have tried to see things from others' perspectives.

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    1. One of our transfer goal was seeing people we taught in white, remember? I cherish that experience because we strived every bit of our energy, our effort and loved them regardless of their circumstances. That was a remarkable transfer :D

      - K.D. Mok

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