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Today is a special day I want to have another chance, we took a mortal dive, and today I am able to see the light house in the darkness.... Shakira
Pablo A: ¿Why is the map of the World upside down?
… Ask Kristina she’s the one who hung it that way…
Pablo A looks at me waiting for his answer.
Kristina: Why not? I read an interesting article about a man who dreamt the World upside down and all the injustices of the world of the north had fallen on him becaue now he was in the south. It left me thinking so I hung my map upside down to remember that so that people would question it.
Pablo A: It makes me uncomfortable…
Kristina: That’s the idea.
The reality of it is what makes me more uncomfortable …
It’s interesting what will happen when you change something as simple as the orientation of an old out dated map. This map which I rescued from the Christmas play props now hangs upside down in the girls dinning hall. Now when people come to visit and ask it is referred to as Kristina’s protest, but the interesting thing has to be the different reactions to the question to the reason behind it all. I hope that question of what if? Forms in their minds the same way it forms in mine while I walk down the now familiar streets of La Plata reading the words spray painted on every other building with cries out for justice, change, for a world turned upside down.
Now the wall in the girls dinning room has become a statement in itself something to think about all because of a small decision made at the last moment. Imagine what would happen if we in our more important choices we opted to change things remembering the customs and examples of our parents, our grandparents in caring for this island we live on. Because how we care is something we have learned and the decisions we make are influenced by the people we learn from no matter how small. For example my housemates all really take care of there things they even wash their shoes and are careful with the stuff they own.
This inspires me to take better care of my own things so yes I wash my shoes too and I make my bed every morning. I choose to go to the fruit and vegetable stand on the corner I buy my meet from the butcher a block away instead of visiting the super market. These small choices inspired by others whether they realize it or not. So that I do not become comfortable in a world where with every passing day things that aren’t directly related to ones well being matter, refusing to fall into that throw away culture in which even people are cast aside.
So as this New Year begins I hope to make better use of my choices….
The following is the before mentioned article:
Dios los bendiga,
Kristina…
Dreaming Upside-Down
by Tom Peterson "
I dreamed the other night that all the maps in the world had been turned upside down. Library atlases, roadmaps of Cincinnati, wall-sized maps in the war rooms of the great nations, even antique maps with such inscriptions as "Here be Dragons" were flipped over. What had been north was now south, east was west.
Like a glob of melting vanilla ice cream, Antarctica now capped schoolroom globes.In my dream, a cloud of anxieties closed around me. The United States was now at the bottom. Would we have to stand upside-down, causing the blood to rush to our heads? Would we need suction-cup shoes to stay on the planet, and would autumn leaves fall up? No, I remembered, an apple once bopped Newton on the head - no need to worry about these things.Other things troubled me more.
Now that we're at the bottom, would our resources and labor be exploited by the new top?
Would African, Asian, and Latin American nations structure world trade to their advantage?Would my neighbors and I have two-dollars-a-day seasonal jobs on peach and strawberry plantations? Would the women and children work from dusk to dawn to scratch survival from the earth of California and Virginia? Would the fruit we picked be shipped from New Orleans and New York for children in Thailand and Ethiopia to hurriedly eat with their cereal so they wouldn't miss the school bus?
Would our children, then, spend the morning, not in school, but fetching water two miles away and the afternoon gathering wood for heating and cooking? Would a small ruling class in this country send their daughters and sons to universities in Cairo and Buenos Aires?Would our economy be dependant upon the goodwill and whims of, say, Brazil?
Would Brazil send war planes and guns to Washington, D.C. to assure our willingness to pick apples and tobacco for export while our children went hungry? Would Brazil and Vietnam fight their wars with our sons in our country? Would we consider revolution?If we did revolt, would the Philippino government plot to put their favorite U.S. general in power, and then uphold him with military aid?Would we work in sweatshops manufacturing radios for the Chinese?
Would our oil be shipped in tankers to Southeast Asia to run their cars, air-conditioning and microwave ovens while most of our towns didn’t even have electricity?Would top of the world religious leaders call us stubborn pagans upon whom God's judgment had fallen, causing our misery? Would they proclaim from opulent pulpits that if we simply turned to God, our needs would be met?
In my dream, I saw child crying in Calcutta. Her parents wouldn't buy her any more video games until her birthday. I saw her mother drive to the supermarket and load her cart with frozen and junk food, vegetables, cheese, meat, and women's magazines.
I also saw a mother in Houston baking bread in an earthen oven. She had been crying because there were no more beans for her family. One of her children listlessly watched her. He was a blond boy, about six years old. He slowly turned his empty, haunting gaze toward me.At that point I awoke with a gasp.
I saw I was in my own bed, in my own house. It was just a bad dream. I drifted back to sleep, thinking,
"It's all right, I'm still on top.
Thank God!"
Este es un dia especial quiero tener otra oportunidad, dimos un salto mortal y hoy vuelvo a ver al faro en la oscuridad.... Shakira
Pablo A: ¿Porque el mapa del mundo esta al revés?…
Pregúntale a Kristina ella fue la que lo colgó así…
Pablo A la mira esperando una respuesta.
Kristina: ¿Por qué no? Yo leí un articulo recién sobre las injusticias que ejerce el supuesto mundo de arriba en contra del mundo de abajo. Por eso más que nada para recordar o para que surja la pregunta.
Pablo A: Me inquieta verlo así.
Kristina: Esa es la idea.
La realidad es lo que más que nada a mí me inquieta…
Es interesante lo que sucede cuando cambiamos algo tan sencillo como la orientación de un mapa viejo. Este mapa que formo parte de la obra de navidad ahora cuelga al revés en el comedor de las chicas. Cuando la gente visita y preguntan he escuchado el gesto nombrarse como la protesta de Kristina. Pero lo interesante en realidad son las reacciones que surgen después del porque. Espero que la pregunta se forme en sus mentes de la misma manera que se forman en la mía al caminar las calles de la plata mirando como queda escrito cada otro edificio con los reclamos por un cambio, por la justicia por un mundo al revés.
Ahora la pared del comedor se ha vuelta razón de pensar por una pequeña decisión. Imagínate que sucedería si al tomar decisiones más importantes optáramos por otras alternativas recordando las costumbres de nuestros abuelos y nuestros padres al cuidar de la isla en que vivimos. Por que estas cosas el cuidado es aprendido y las decisiones toman en consideración las influencias por más pequeño que sea.
Por ejemplo en la casa todos lavan sus zapatos hacen sus camas y tratan con un cuidado sus pertenencias que me inspira a cuidar mejor mis cosas. Si mi gente lavo mis zapatos hago mi cama opto por comprarle al verdulero de la esquina y al carnicero en la otra cuadra. Esas pequeñas decisiones inspiradas por los demás aunque lo sepan o no. Para no volvernos cómodos en un mundo en donde cada día nos importa menos lo que no tiene que ver con nosotros y formamos parte de una cultura de basura en donde tiramos todo lo que nos aburre porque no le queremos dedicar tiempo incluyendo la gente.
Le pido a Dios que en este nuevo año pueda darle mejor uso a mis decisiones… Dios los bendiga, Kristina…
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