The Power of One

Just finished watching “The Power of One” for the first time. Wow. An incredible film, but memorable most for the tragic and ongoing story of hatred and racism– and the struggles against those foes– which it portays and reveals.

I have read “Covenant” by James Michener as well as “Cry, the Beloved Country” by Alan Paton, but had not read “Power of One” by Bryce Courtenay. I think I’ll add it to my list of future reading. I have never traveled to South Africa. Never been to Africa at all, actually. Some day I would like to. The open wounds caused by racial hatreds may seem more open there than in other places, but sadly the same specters of misunderstandings and yes, hatred, populate the streets of our nation as well as those of every other country on the planet to varying degrees I expect.

It is incredible to realize that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned in South Africa from 1962 until 1990. The sacrifices made by real heroes, for causes like freedom, human rights, human dignity, and self determination, make the fictional heroes we tend to focus more on in the theater and on home DVDs pale in comparison.

I am very passionate about advancing the cause of universal literacy, both in our nation and across the globe. But that cause is but a part of the greater struggle to which I believe we are called. The racism, bigotry, ethnocentrism, and hatred for others which sadly goes on in my hometown as well as across our globe must be opposed and stopped.

Ultimately, the best way to fight these shameful diseases is through education and interpersonal relationships. Through conversation. When we know each other as human beings, as brothers and sisters, I think it is much more difficult for us to hate each other. This is the same cause Eva Hance, survivor of the Dachau Concentration Camp, spoke of so passionately here in Lubbock just a few weeks ago. We must reject “the hate.” It is only through love, and understanding of one another, that we can avoid repeating the terrible mistakes of the past that continue in the present.

I highly recommend the movie “The Power of One” if you have not seen it previously. Acting alone, our voice may not carry beyond the room in which we speak. Acting together and in concert, we can change the world. We can open the door.

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On this day..

• What Support for Interactive Writing (Blogging) at High School Should Look Like – 2013
• Recommended Reading for Oklahoma Digital Learning Summit: 19-20 April 2012 – 2012
• Spoken Word Poetry, Project V.O.I.C.E. and Sarah Kay at #tedxokc – 2011
• Create a web feed for school sites which don’t provide/support RSS – 2010
• Transitioning to 1:1 Netbooks via BYOL – 2009
• 10,000 miles apart and learning – 2008
• links for 2008-04-08 – 2008
• NCCE 2008 workshop audio recordings – 2008
• Positive impressions of WordPress 2.5 – 2008
• MySpace defamation suit highlights important issues – 2007