I major in politics, but I haven't gotten around to register to vote yet (I will). Economics, and I am ever silent in the capitalist/socialist debate (unless we're talking about Yunus). Philosophy, and I still ask - what about the human heart? What about longings that beg questions of identity, value, and intimacy? The heart asks questions that Marx and Locke could never answer. The greatest political structure of all time can't stand up to the heights of joy and depths of disappointment. It can not stop hidden sentiments of failure or triumph, shame or security, that I'm convinced move or hinder us from life. It's not that I don't care about these things that I study, I just care too much.
I don't know how my life works out, considering the amount of time I successfully waste every day. But, within an hour of writing San Francisco Safe House, I got a job. In the summer of 2009, I'll live with the women we grimace at and spit out "sluts". Someone in California or Washington could legislate a safety net for these women, but nothing would change. The facts would remain:
- 85% report sexual assault, brutal physical or emotional abuse and/or incest before age 18
- 90% meet criteria for diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, major depression, eating disorders, or anxiety disorders
- 80% have been victims of severe violence associated with prostitution
- 90% have significant substance abuse issues
- 80% have unresolved grief due to the death of a loved one
I am so desperate to believe that love can really move a person into a life worthy of the name.
2 comments:
the essence of you, kate, is sweet and charming and disarming and alarming all at once. your thoughts and your heart are bound companions and it would be death to separate them for you. this is one reason that I love you. I loved this. LOVED it. want more of you and who and why you are. also, i love that you send me texts to kick your dog.
you're really good for my soul, mamma.
Post a Comment