I ran across a verse the other day that really resonates with me. In fact, I printed a copy of it that is hung at my desk at work. It's a verse from the Bible, and it represents a way of interacting with others that provides an alternative to the way our culture (and government specifically) has historically treated certain groups of people.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend your lives on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."
~Isaiah 58:9-10
This represents something really powerful to me. In fact, it almost brings me to tears to think about how things could change for the better if we all chose to live by these words.
Grad school has required me to do a lot of self-reflection, looking inward to examine myself and how my beliefs and actions could influence my professional practice. I'm not going to lie, it has been a difficult process. It is tough when you come to terms with the fact that you've acted in ways that have oppressed the very people that you could one day be serving. There's an intrinsic sense of guilt that is pushed to the forefront, and it's hard to get past thoughts and behaviors of the past to move to a place of acceptance and self-forgiveness. In fact, I don't know that I will ever reach this place.
It makes me sad to think that not everyone is forced to engage in this same level of self-examination. Being forced to challenge the beliefs you've internalized over the course of a lifetime is HARD work! But it's also empowering and motivating. Some of my opinions have changed drastically. And some have been reinforced. And many others will continue to evolve over the course of my lifetime.
My schooling has challenged me in ways I never thought possible, and it's still only the first semester! But I can't wait for what lies ahead. Life is nothing if not exciting and unpredictable.
1 comment:
Yay! THIS is why grad school is so worth it. :)
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