Source: Take Sides
The link is to a quote by Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner. He is not referring to taking sides over a game. Instead, he speaks to taking sides when we witness wrong-doing and immoral acts. His book Night is a worthwhile reading.
I remind other Christians Jesus reached out to those who were most in need, living on the margins of society. He ate with sinners and tax collectors and stood up against the Pharisees and scribes (Luke 15:1–4) and (Romans 3:23).
We each have to decide what we is immoral and moral. It is not upholding abstract laws and rules, but the spirit of doing what is proper. I did not use the word right or correct . When I do, I fall into a trap of checking a binary box of right or wrong. Instead, I ask “is this proper?” In French, this is a matter of comportment and conduct.
I think the last sentence in the quote are important, worthwhile repeating. It is worth spending time whiling and linger over the words and the depth of their meaning, from a person who suffered and witnessed unthinkable human tragedy perpretrated by other people. “Whereever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must — at that moment — become the center of the universe.”
I am not a big believer in thinking about my legacy, whatever that might be, but I want to be remembered as someone who stood up and spoke out against the wrong done to other people.
ivonprefontaine
I liked that you did parenthise even in an informal writing as a blog.
So how DO you say this in French? 6 years of the language, but so long ago. And yes, you are in good company – I’ve always stood up for the underdog. In fact I was usually the only one who did (home, office, school – you pick). And I got away with it, because I was an overachiever, so that gave me a modicum of respect. Love Wiesel – read a bit of his work in college.
When I was growing up, my mother would say “ce n’est pas propre,” if one of was rude in some way. Needless to say, this was based on context to some degree. Vrai and correcte mean to be right or wrong, they are binary in nature. Jacques Derrida wrote about propre and appropriate as they share a common etymology. The latter can be used as a verb.
I think it helps to be an overachiever. I was always big. That helped, as well.
A student used Night as part of her self-directed novel study. The first time we discussed it together she asked “if it was OK to cry when she read it?”
Aww. I’d be a goner if I had to ask about crying when reading. I always do, if the piece is poignant to me, which it usually is. I write with a group of island women and our poetry has been published by a press in Honolulu (Bamboo Ridge). So we do occasional readings, which I dread. Because yes, I always cry. So it gets to some people, but opens up others to their own deeper/buried feelings. Ce n’est pas propre, perhaps, but it Is authentic. Thanks, Ivon.
C’est propre. It is about context and, when it is authentic, it works well.
🙂
I prefer to be remembered as someone who spread a little sunshine into the lives of others.
That is a beautiful way to be remembered. How we can do this is often unplanned. It happens in the moment without considering any reward.
wishing you continued success
speaking truth & compassion 🙂
Thank you.
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
For those who lean toward no hereafter, legacy seemingly becomes more important. I may only have a lifetime, not an eternal life. I constantly search for moments to breathe positive life into negative circumstance. How does one profess to create a legacy when we are busy living life? Make each moment a legacy, I guess.
When I count my highlights of 2017 Ivon, finding your blog will be on the definitive list.
George, being present is essential to living. Thank you for a wonderful comment and questions
Not a problem, Ivon. I found your blog because I was looking for answers to questions. Now it seems I have a lot more questions. 🙂
That is the best way to live George. The poet Rilke said we can live into those questions given time.