A Quiet One, A Revolution

Dear and gentle friend,

I trust you are keeping well and managing to stay cool and comfortable in these very hot and humid conditions, we desperately need rain, lots of it.

For those of us who follow Aloka and the Venerable Monks, their expected arrival date in Washington is Tuesday 10 or possibly 11 February.  What an incredible feat.  It has been such an inspiring experience to witness their dedication in reminding us to practise peace, and more importantly to choose peace over strife, as well as to be mindful to the needs of others and above all, their determination to achieve their goal.  This wasn’t an easy or trouble free journey, as It has been  beset with many pitfalls –  from a monk losing his leg in an accident, Aloka undergoing surgery, extreme weather conditions and general health issues.  

If anything this walk should highlight the fact that the citizens of the world long for peace, for connection, interconnectedness, harmony and mindfulness.  We are aware of the fact that we have to navigate an increasingly hostile, troubled and unkind world, I think this initiative has given us much food for thought in that we are forced to be mindful of the needs of ourselves and each other.

I hope that the “walk for peace initiative”, has and will ignite in all of us (the people of Gqeberha) a passion to actively pursues change, and by that I mean community initiatives that will bring about radical change.  After all we are interconnected in that we live in this metro, we are neighbours, fellow Qqeherbans, trying to navigate potholes, uneven road surfaces, broken traffic lights and the list goes on and on!  However, some of our neighbours face enormous problems and are burdened by hunger, unemployment, broken families.  They live in unsafe neighbourhood caused by violence, alcohol and drug abuse as well as despair and hopelessness.

While I applaud some of our local politicians for their efforts in attending to and highlighting the need to improve infrastructure, as well as the demand to bolster staff shortages by recruiting and employing competent folk  to carry out essential policing services in and to the community, I am of the firm belief that we also need to address the root cause of all the ills that beset many of our communities.

In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white person, after a long hard day at work and quietly minding her own business she experienced a quiet revolution of the heart, very clearly a situation that had been troubling her for a long time. When were people in authority and the like going to  respect her as a person made in the image of God, and not be prejudiced towards her because of the colour of her skin?  That seemingly tiny act of rebellion gave birth to a movement what would change the course of history.

Father Gregory Boyle at the conclusion of his theology studies in 1986 was appointed pastor of Delores Mission Church, a Jesuit parish in the Boyle Heights neighbourhood of East Los Angeles, situated between two large public housing projects and amid the territories of eight gangs.  Faced with daily gang related deaths, (between 1988 and 1998) close to a thousand people lost their lives to gang related violence annually.  Father Boyle, alongside parishioners and community members, including gang members  set about engaging with each other in addressing the unmet needs of the of young people involved in gangs.

Positive opportunities and programmes were established, including day care centres as well as efforts to assist folk in finding gainful employment.

In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, a community organising project launched their first social enterprise business, namely Homeboy Bakery.   An old abandoned warehouse was converted into a bakery, thus teaching youngsters various skills, alongside training, they offered counselling and various related programmes.  The bakery started by producing tortilla and eventually received a contract for baking bread.  Homeboy Industries is a thriving independent non-profit organization.  

“Nothing stops a bullet like a job” is the guiding principle.

Please forgive my boldness or some might call it arrogance.  Can we please, please stop wasting time, money and efforts on initiatives that are not effective or measurable as they just appease egos and achieve little else.

Can we do some real work, hard, difficult and as futile as it may seem, can we just do it? Can we set aside agendas, ideologies, political and religious persuasion and can we work on ways and means to engage with, listen to, and in so doing meet the unmet needs of struggling, angry, forgotten young people who most probably have incredible strengths, talents and creativity, yet are overlooked and forgotten because they turn to violence, drugs and gangsterism. Can we help each other find a way to break down barriers, and instead build longer tables where we can break bread and get to know each other.

The possibilities are endless!

Just for a moment dare to dream about being part of change, every little ounce of love and energy, will move mountains.

This is a challenge to the church, politicians and civil society to be part of real change, not lip service, not pretending – real change.  

Nothing stops a bullet like a job

May our earnest prayer be to set aside our fears, indifferences, and differences.

Give us the courage, strength and boldness to be like Rosa Parks and Father Boyle and Sister Ethel, to serve each other, neighbourhoods, suburbs and the people in the metro with love, kindness and justice.

May indifference become love and acceptance as we strive to build stronger relationships.

May peace be our guide!