The quote from Bryan
Stevenson really captures the beauty of being broken. This is important because
society does not often recognize brokenness as something positive or beautiful.
This makes me reflect back on my own life. I often tell others that I would not
change the difficulties that I faced growing up because then I would not be the
person I am today. I feel that this is what Stevenson is describing. The
setbacks that we have in life make us relatable, human. When we see vulnerability
in ourselves we can empathize with others. This idea was then represented
beautifully in the kintsukuroi. It is art that takes something broken,
something that others might disregard and makes it beautiful. For those looking
at this artwork, it serves as a reminder that others can see beauty in
brokenness.
I was immediately taken
aback by Jacqueline Navogratz. She opened her talk by describing an
impoverished community and the first thing she said about the people there was
that it was impossible not to notice their vitality. It was a little mind
blowing to hear positive statements about the poor as opposed to being told
everything that was wrong with them. My amazement did not end, as she then
talked about Jane and her dreams. Jane wanted to be a doctor and have a good
husband and Navogratz explains that she did not get either of these things and
that she is HIV positive. Jane does not focus on this though, instead she spoke
of the things she had in her life that gave her hope and made her happy.
Aaron Huey spoke about
pictures he took of the Lakota. He explains the proud and tragic history of the
Sioux tribe. Due to the United States government the Lakota have been hardened
by life. They have had their land and their culture taken away from them and
from the pictures that Huey took they have been left with little to nothing.
The images showed homes that were falling apart, buildings covered in graffiti,
overall a people with a broken spirit. As Huey explained though, these are not
people that need our help. They are strong and capable of being independent.
They just need us to stop cutting them off at the knees, they need us to give
the Black Hills back.
Tan Le came from a
dangerous place and she explains that her first memories are of the boat ride to
Australia where her and her family became refugees. She explains that
everything in her life from that point on she had to work for. She does not
seem hardened or bitter, she explains that being an outsider is a good thing.
She talks about the great things she has been able to accomplish in her life,
all because of where she started from. Even though her family has been through
difficult things, she says that if she could give her children the same
experience she had from the boat ride that she would (with her guidance).
Mellody Hudson then
talked about race and the uncomfortable subject that everybody makes it. She
compares it to touching the third rail because it is followed by shock and a
long silence. In her experience talking about race is more effective than
choosing not to acknowledge it. She explains that we need to be comfortable in
discomfort, meaning that to get others to acknowledge race we have to be ready
to face uncomfortable situations ourselves.
All of these advocates
were able to find beauty in the broken. They saw the situations that people
were in and did not pity them or treat them like charity. Instead they saw the
inherent worth of every human being. This is something I want to strive for in
my social work career. It may sound simple, but I feel that getting past
interactions we are used to could prove difficult. I will have to work to be
present in each moment and give every person the time and effort they are
worth.
Hobson, Mellody. (2014,
March). Color blind or color brave?.
Huey, Aaron. (2010,
September). America’s native prisoners of
war.
Le,
Tan. (2011, December). My Immigration
Story.
Novogratz, Jacqueline. (2009, February). An escape from poverty.
https://www.ted.com/talks/jacqueline_novogratz_on_an_escape_from_poverty
Kintsukuroi, the art to repair pottery with gold or silver does enhance and make the piece beautiful. I feel that I understand what you are saying, that without the hardships a person endures, they would not be the person they are today. We do not have call a person broken because of where they came from, where they live, or their history of events. We can find beauty in everything if we just allow ourselves to see pass the narratives that we were accustom to see and hear growing up. In Jacqueline Novogratz’s story of Jane, a mother of two living in a poverty-stricken area riddled with violence, she is not broken, but through her hardships we see the beauty in her life. We see a mother who loves and cares for her children. We see her share her own story to give hope to the people around her. That is how I see Jane.
ReplyDeleteWe can see the beauty of a family immigrating to a new world with almost no belongings, their courage to leap into the unknown, unsure of their future. We listen to Tan Le tell open up about the hardships in her youth and her difficulty with privilege and entitlement. The beauty is the support from her mother and her grandmother. There is beauty everywhere, as with the stories of our forefathers who struggled for equality. There is beauty in people coming together to form human bonds with other individuals for their pride, and their culture. I understand what you are saying, that the stories of our hardships have beauty within itself.