Life In Fuschia...

~*Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter - Martin Luther King Jr.*~

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

A Brief Summary Of My Contemplations On Life...

Today in one of my literacy courses we watched the documentary Paperclips. I have seen this documentary a few times before, but it gets me everytime. The documentary is about an 8th grade class in Tennessee, that comes to make a truly impactful project about the Holocaust. I won't give away what the project is, but I recommend it. It's a powerful documentary, with accounts from survivors, and the communication of human emotion. I've seen this documentary probably five times prior to today, and I don't think I'll ever watch it without crying. It makes me think and feel and connect. Today, other people were crying and feeling an impact on their lives. Everyone knows about the Holocaust because it's taught in school, but it's different when you really make a connection and feel hurt for someone else, and become part of a common thread of emotion. It's really powerful sharing hurt with someone, and it manages to be powerful when you share the feeling with a stranger or someone you love. My professor said something really meaningful today about sharing emotional and sensitive subjects with students in our future classrooms, she said "Never be afraid to teach your students about the truth, and things that evoke emotions..." I'm amazed by kids everyday, but when kids are touched by sense of hurt for someone or something else, it really gives me hope that all the bad things in the world will someday be changed by these kids, and the world will be a better place. I think and think about people's capacity to feel so much all at once, or so little sometimes. I remember things from when I was little and how meaningful and feeling provoking everything seemed to be. I felt the warmth outside when I played with my friends, but I never see my adult peers excited by the sunshine and the green grass. How does the excitement of life just fade away like that? I think maybe children feel the most of all, and they do it outloud without shame or doubt or second thoughts. Why don't we just cry when we feel sad, or hug strangers when we think they might need it, or we just want to be hugged? Why don't we yell and make others aware of our discontent at unfairness or mistreatment? Why do people hide from what they feel? I used to think people were simple, but I'm starting to feel they are truly complex creatures...

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