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One of the stories in Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal tells of someone with chronic illness who lived a much reduced life because she never knew if she had the energy to finish things - so she didn't try. Through her work with the doctor she realized that she could try things and if they didn't work out, so what? "If it's worth doing," the patient concluded at the end of the story, "it's worth doing half assed."
There's something about that point of view that ties with the wisdom of Wayne Gretzky, variously reported as: "One hundred percent of the shots you don't take don't go in" or "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
For the perfectionist, *me*, going ahead and getting something done, even if it is imperfect and not the best i could do, is a challenge. That is part of the procrastination in a large amount of my correspondence and communication: i want to give my correspondent my full attention, focus on them, but im distracted or tired right now. I'll write later. And so i don't write.
But there are plenty of cases, i think, where letting someone know you're thinking of them is the right thing.
And this morning's case is responding to an alert from FOR about San José de Apartadó, a peace community in Colombia for which friends of mine have been international accompaniment. The murder and dismemberment of a number of community members (including children) in 2005 was heart breaking, the particular victims seem to point to assassination (as it was the community leader) and terrorizing the community. The confessions of both a military participant and paramilitaries who explained how they worked with the military seemed good evidence. The court decision acquitting the soldiers seems to be part of a continuing pattern of injustice.
So i went to the "Send a Fax to the Secretary of State" page and tried to make my own personal message this morning. Before much tea. There are sentence fragments. But maybe it counts more than not sending a letter because i wait until i can write a clear and motivating plea.
[For more on Colombia and US aid and how the aid affects average Colombian's human rights, see http://forusa.org/content/report-military-assistance-human-rights-colombia-us-accountability-global-implications ]
There's something about that point of view that ties with the wisdom of Wayne Gretzky, variously reported as: "One hundred percent of the shots you don't take don't go in" or "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
For the perfectionist, *me*, going ahead and getting something done, even if it is imperfect and not the best i could do, is a challenge. That is part of the procrastination in a large amount of my correspondence and communication: i want to give my correspondent my full attention, focus on them, but im distracted or tired right now. I'll write later. And so i don't write.
But there are plenty of cases, i think, where letting someone know you're thinking of them is the right thing.
And this morning's case is responding to an alert from FOR about San José de Apartadó, a peace community in Colombia for which friends of mine have been international accompaniment. The murder and dismemberment of a number of community members (including children) in 2005 was heart breaking, the particular victims seem to point to assassination (as it was the community leader) and terrorizing the community. The confessions of both a military participant and paramilitaries who explained how they worked with the military seemed good evidence. The court decision acquitting the soldiers seems to be part of a continuing pattern of injustice.
So i went to the "Send a Fax to the Secretary of State" page and tried to make my own personal message this morning. Before much tea. There are sentence fragments. But maybe it counts more than not sending a letter because i wait until i can write a clear and motivating plea.
[For more on Colombia and US aid and how the aid affects average Colombian's human rights, see http://forusa.org/content/report-military-assistance-human-rights-colombia-us-accountability-global-implications ]
Dear Secretary Clinton,
I was part of a support committee for a couple who visited San Jose de Apardo as international accompaniment in the early 200's before the 2005 masacre. I remember the struggle they had in leaving to come back to the states because they knew their presences shielded their friends from violence from both sides of the armed conflict. Without the shield, their friends might die.
I don't think I could truly imagine what life in a peace community is like without hearing the stories of my friends about living alongside their friends in Colombia. The people of San Jose de Apardo become part of my extended community, and i have kept up with the news. My friends recruited replacements, and i've followed the stories of other Americans who are accompanying the community.
I am saddened to read the news that, despite confessions, there is no holding soldiers accountable for the machette killings and dismemberments of the adults and children in 2005. The acquittal continues to underscore the power of the paramilitaries and their strong political connections, their interaction with the 6th Battalion.
Please do not certify the human rights condition in Colombia. I know the Country is in an ever on going civil war: the community of San Jose de Apardo has had deaths at the hands of the rebels. The community stands apart and refuses to participate on one side of the civil war or the other. For folks with binary thinking -- your against me or with me -- this may seem impossible, but it is part of respecting human rights that we respect the conscientious refusal to bear arms in the US, Here is a whole community focused on living in peace.
We could do well to listen to the teachers of San Jose de Apardo, and learn how to support greater peace in the world. Withholding certification and refusing to give legitimacy to the abuses of the Colombian government until they, too, shift their attention to the majority of Colombian citizens and protecting their human rights.
Sincerely,
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