Dealing with the upshot

Okay, so what has been the end result of this and other columns? Does talking (in The Louisville Cardinal to boot) about the myriad challenges that face us nationally and internationally really contribute to their mitigation, if not their solution?

I really believe that we, the people, are at a particularly critical time in our history, not because of terrorism, or Osama “I can run AND hide” bin Laden. The pivotal part of these times lies firstly in the decisions that we are wittingly or not making in regards to how we, the people, will think and act from this point on; and secondly, in the fact that we are opening doors and we have imperfect knowledge of what lies beyond.

My grandmother once told me that we can only do what we know how to do, but when we know better, we should do better (and I’m sure most grandmothers know this). To me, that always meant that while we should forgive ourselves when we think and act in ignorance, we should use the knowledge we gain to act in an intelligent and useful manner. This remains applicable when the ‘we’ in question is a nation. We have, on more than one occasion, acted on ignorance (and that whole Noriega thing was also pretty damn arrogant), but that doesn’t mean that we should remain ignorant. It means that when we gain information -all the stuff floating around this newfangled thing called the Internet- we can only turn that into knowledge by acting well, and acting right.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I don’t think we are acting very well, but too “Right” to suit me. Bush and his cronies continue making dangerous and ill-advised decisions regardless of what I say.

Those like William Bennett might consider my opinions “un-American,” and if one conceives of America in its original form as the domain of propertied white men, then it sure sounds like it. But at this time in our country when it is least popular, and much scarier to do so (we might be accused of being “enemies of America” at best), it is essential those of us who have thoughts speak them. I’m not just talking to the “Left,” either. Perhaps our foreign policy actually does reflect the will of the people (when they are informed). But I’m not convinced with the current levels of political participation.

Information and communication is only really useful when it leads to understanding, and then action. Taking action does not necessarily mean you have to make a banner and head on to Washington, though I respect those that do.

Action means that even as we do what we have to do for ourselves and our families, we find larger ways to impact on the world in ways that “make the lives of our children fuller and more possible” (Audre Lorde).

As King and Gandhi and countless others knew, words can become agents of social change. Words can show us the reality that exists beneath our noses, and give us a new vision to aspire to.

Josephine Khamisi is a senior sociology major and columnist for The Cardinal. Contact:

josephine_khamisi@

louisvillecardinal.com