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This week at school, activist Angela Davis came to speak in honor of Black History month. She spoke of her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, her political views, and of the people she felt were the ones who truly shaped African American history. Seeing that she is a controversial figure in our nation’s recent history, I do not wish to touch on the past, but rather, what she had to say to the students at my school.
What I found most interesting (that keeps replaying in my head and has come up every day since I heard her speak) is theme of interconnectedness that Ms. Davis wove throughout her speech. Her biggest piece of advice was for us to find something that we are passionate about, get involved, and then realize how it is connected to so many other aspects of the world.
Being the daughter of a breast cancer survivor, I have always been extremely involved in promoting breast cancer awareness. I am passionate about the fight for a cure. Breast cancer is not reserved for any particular person- it does not strictly affect one race, one gender, or one personality type. As Mom says, it’s just a bad cell day, and it can touch the life of anyone in this world. In this light, we are all connected.
On the other hand, survivors from any background are connected by the fact that they have survived. Be it cancer, a car accident, a tragic loss, anything, a survivor is a survivor.
Every one of us has a moment in life (most if the time, this occurs more than once) when we feel we are alone. At times, it seems like everyone around us is enjoying all that the world has to offer, and there we are, stuck and in a hole we can’t get out of. What is so interesting to me though, especially now, is that there is something that connects us all at every moment of every day. Be it something we are struggling with or something that made us smile, we are all interconnected.
My thoughts are still a bit scattered, and I’m sure it’s apparent in my writing, but I am just astonished and overwhelmed at the amount of connection I have seen in my small college world just within the past few days. Ever since I heard Ms. Davis say the word “interconnectedness,” I just can’t stop noticing it.
I know a lot of people I care about have had a rough few weeks. Right now, life isn’t quite going the way we all hoped for, and it’s tough. I’ve taken comfort, however, in the fact that we are not alone. I’m still trying to organize my thoughts on the matter, but I’m feeling such an attachment to the people around me.
The best way to describe it is like a perpetual light that keeps bouncing off of everyone it touches. In my mind, I picture this light leaving a trail as it moves onto the next person, connecting them to the one before. It really is quite a beautiful picture. I only hope that more and more people will come to see it too. Then, we will see the true interconnectedness of the world, and loneliness just might subside.
