Culture/Process

These are some of my (somewhat random) thoughts. I am currently immersed (in my brain) in a sea of culture-related readings and schoolwork.

1. I went for a walk today and looked around at my neat and tidy neighbourhood. In light of all the unearned white privilege I have in my life, I had a different perspective. I looked up the road, up the hill and wondered what this land looked like before there were houses here, before it was neat and tidy. I've been reading up a bit on the history of Vancouver, and it's pretty interesting.

I notice how the land always starts to take over. In all those futuristic movies and novels about the end of the world, you often see things just overgrown, like the land taking itself back. I notice this when weeds grow between sidewalk cracks, and when concrete breaks up and plants take over before we can snatch them up. Things disintegrate back into the earth if we don't watch. The land still dictates my culture.

2. How do I shine out in who I am, how do I celebrate my own culture, while at the same time acknowledging the history of my culture, the white privileges I have, and instead of taking things for granted, how do I advocate for social change and use my privilege for good? These things are on my mind. I need to get out of my comfort zone, again. Good intentions are not enough. I need to really step out into the light in order to burn and blaze out who I am in a way that can make a difference...and be changed in the process.