Vision is an interesting concept. We are commonly unable to see things when they are too far away, but we often forget the other difficult part of Vision—trying to see things that are too close. Just as things are difficult to make out from afar, things get blurry when right in front of our eyes. Therefore, often, I have to take a step back in order to see things clearly. Distance is where true Vision begins.
Distance is now one of the things that stand between my current thoughts on the death of my former classmate, teammate, and friend, Jerome Ellington. Two years ago from yesterday, he was murdered by a firearm. Even in the tragic act by which he was killed, Distance played a role. According to the police reports, Jerome was shot with a shotgun from a close range. Therefore, Jerome stood toe-to-toe with Death—so close that it became blurry.
Now, a year later, what is our position? How clear is our Vision? Ironically, when I was close to Jerome physically—shaking hands in the hallways, cracking jokes on the team buses, and running up and down the court alongside one him—I was actually the farthest removed from him. I failed to see the other dimensions he possessed as a person—dimensions we all possess as people—the ability to affect people’s lives. My Vision was blurry.
Then, January 28th happened. And, I received a series of calls and text messages that confirmed the misfortune—Jerome was murdered. After tragedy happened, I moved closer. I saw and heard friends, classmates, and his family members mourn. I , myself, mourned. As most do when events such as these occur, we posed questions, both to the natural and the supernatural, asking why. Emotions began to run rapid, as they should in such an emotional time, I began to see his dimensions, and I got close to Jerome—too close. My Vision was blurry.
A year later, I am still in search of the right amount of Distance. We need a place, especially in situations like these, where we are far enough to move with courage and clear purpose but close enough never to forget. I believe this is why Vision is so important. Clear Vision is what Jerome’s loved ones will need to keep peace and sanity. Clear Vision what motivates myself and dedicated members of the SOLUTION to want to do all we can to keep Jerome’s story from being told with the use of different names—making sure Jerome did not die in vain. Clear Vision is caring just enough to make a difference. Tonight, I pray that we all find the right position that will give us clear Vision—not just to handle the loss of loved ones—for our futures. Blurred Vision is the problem. Be a part of the SOLUTION!
OxyJon
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
All Shook Up: Haitian Tragedy
On January 12, 2009 at around 5:00pm eastern time, the Earth shook in Haiti. Then, people screamed, and then they cried. Then, many of them died—at least hundreds of thousands did according to the estimate of Haiti’s Prime Minister. And, ever since that day, people of many nations, races, and creeds have stood by the people of Haiti by offering their support. I am amazed, once again, by the hearts of people when touched by tragedy.
The best way to understand tragic nature of what happened in Haiti is to start where the event started for each one of us who heard about what took place. When I heard the news, I was at a Mexican restaurant eating dinner with an old friend. Ironically, I received word through her during a time that was supposed to be allocated for catching up on past events in our lives. She heard something about a tragedy in Haiti and, in an unsure fashion, passed word to me, as the arroz y pollo sizzled on the table. When I got home, I saw new stories on what had happened , and I was shocked.
This is where tragedy begins. The irony of the position I was in when I heard about the earthquake is the similarity it has to the position of people in Haiti right before the Earth shook. This does not mean that all the people of Haiti were sitting around Haiti eating Mexican food. However, I imagine many of them were going through a normal day; talking to a loved one, coming home from a hard day’s work, working on a homework assignment, shopping, playing a game, or maybe even catching up with a friend over a nice meal. I hope that you can think about where you were when you heard about Haiti—be it watching the news, riding in the car, or talking to a friend or loved one—and think about what it would have been like had the Earth shook at that moment causing you to lose everything. This is what makes tragedy so shocking.
Comparing the Haitians’ tragedy to the American experience, however, is in a way an injustice. Looking at Hurricane Katrina that struck New Orleans, LA in 2005, some of the poorest people in the country lost their homes, loved ones, and thousands lost their lives. This time, the poorest people on this side of the planet lost what little they already had for which to live. Now, we turn on our televisions, radios, computers, and cellular phones to see and hear the people, who already had nothing, continue to lose. It as if life decided the drowning man was not sinking fast enough. Therefore, he decided to tie an anchor to his foot. Haiti’s tragedy is unique.
We need to keep the people of Haiti in our hearts and prayers. They have endured an experience that we can only begin to imagine. It is hard for many of us to grasp what it is like to go throughout our days having literally nothing, and it almost impossible for us to fathom what it must be like to for tragedy to strike us while standing on the bottom. So, what better reason do we have to step in and donate our money and/or our time to help these people? I applaud the people around the world who have shown their support as much as, and often much more than, I. Lastly, I hope that this makes your heart shake, and you decide to help these people. Tragedy is the problem. Be a part of the SOLUTION.
OxyJon
The best way to understand tragic nature of what happened in Haiti is to start where the event started for each one of us who heard about what took place. When I heard the news, I was at a Mexican restaurant eating dinner with an old friend. Ironically, I received word through her during a time that was supposed to be allocated for catching up on past events in our lives. She heard something about a tragedy in Haiti and, in an unsure fashion, passed word to me, as the arroz y pollo sizzled on the table. When I got home, I saw new stories on what had happened , and I was shocked.
This is where tragedy begins. The irony of the position I was in when I heard about the earthquake is the similarity it has to the position of people in Haiti right before the Earth shook. This does not mean that all the people of Haiti were sitting around Haiti eating Mexican food. However, I imagine many of them were going through a normal day; talking to a loved one, coming home from a hard day’s work, working on a homework assignment, shopping, playing a game, or maybe even catching up with a friend over a nice meal. I hope that you can think about where you were when you heard about Haiti—be it watching the news, riding in the car, or talking to a friend or loved one—and think about what it would have been like had the Earth shook at that moment causing you to lose everything. This is what makes tragedy so shocking.
Comparing the Haitians’ tragedy to the American experience, however, is in a way an injustice. Looking at Hurricane Katrina that struck New Orleans, LA in 2005, some of the poorest people in the country lost their homes, loved ones, and thousands lost their lives. This time, the poorest people on this side of the planet lost what little they already had for which to live. Now, we turn on our televisions, radios, computers, and cellular phones to see and hear the people, who already had nothing, continue to lose. It as if life decided the drowning man was not sinking fast enough. Therefore, he decided to tie an anchor to his foot. Haiti’s tragedy is unique.
We need to keep the people of Haiti in our hearts and prayers. They have endured an experience that we can only begin to imagine. It is hard for many of us to grasp what it is like to go throughout our days having literally nothing, and it almost impossible for us to fathom what it must be like to for tragedy to strike us while standing on the bottom. So, what better reason do we have to step in and donate our money and/or our time to help these people? I applaud the people around the world who have shown their support as much as, and often much more than, I. Lastly, I hope that this makes your heart shake, and you decide to help these people. Tragedy is the problem. Be a part of the SOLUTION.
OxyJon
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