Tuesday, August 12, 2003
Ode to Carbondale
I've lived in Carbondale, Southern Illinois [USA] for seven years now. As I got ready for work today, it occured to me just how much this town has brought into my life - some of it negative, but much of it positive. The key word may be "challenge." Living here has challenged me to face my greatest fears, discover who I am, and create a life for myself that includes [but isn't limited to!] my heartfelt desire to make a difference in the world.
Allow me to cite a few examples:
Carbondale introduced me to ecology, ecodefense, activism, and radicalism. Through my involvement in the Student Environmental Center, Shawnee EF!, and other groups, I learned to love the Earth and take action in its defense. Through my Ecology and Ethics studies at SIUC, I learned about the Institute for Social Ecology, where I eventually spent two summers studying Ecology and Community.
Carbondale is also where I first became aware of and involved in peace activism and a wide array of social justice issues. Good stuff; 'nuff said.
Carbondale also introduced me to spirituality and healing. This is where I learned about the living or raw foods diet, the Barbara Brennan school of Healing that I later studied at for a year, and the spiritual tradition and community that now have a dear place in my heart. The Interfaith Center here in town has also been home to many precious community experiences for me, allowing dialogue with people of different faiths and helping me to see the connections between spirituality, politics, ecology, community, and healing.
I would also call this the town that has taught me the nature and value of friendship. For a long time, I was too timid and withdrawn to form deep and lasting bonds with people. Through my involvement in community groups, my roommates at the Oak House, my travels that all began with Carbondale as a launching pad, and other community experiences, I've begun overcoming this hurdle in my life.
To sum up all of the above:
When I came to this town, I was painfully shy and withdrawn, depressed, frequently ill, actively suicidal, and generally unsure about my direction in life. Seven years later, I still have a lifetime of healing ahead of me, but I am comfortable among people, mostly upbeat, rarely seriously ill, not at all suicidal, and increasingly confident about my place in the universe. Some of that of course is simply due to my own hard work and self-exploration, but some is surely due to the fact that I had a relatively rich environment to grow in.
I often get frustrated with this town, and many of my 'progressive' friends do too. There's a lot of wonderful sentiment brewing, but it seldom seems to come to fruition and endure the test of time, due in part to the fact that 2/3 of the town is 'transient' college students who come and go every few years.
But now that I've been here for more than my college studies, I'm on the verge of becoming less frustrated with the community, not more. After all that this town has brought me personally, I have a great deal of hope that together, we can learn to create a better community based on such enduring and worthwhile principles as non-hierarchy, non-violence, ecological integrity, direct democracy, and so on.
It's going to take a whole lot of work, both in the community and in ourselves. And I'm not deluding myself - I realize that it's going to be very, very challenging. But after some of the wonderful things that I've learned in this town, I'm confident that we have the potential to heal ourselves, organize our community, and transform the world. All that remains is embracing that potential rather than doubting it.
Together, we can make it happen!
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Allow me to cite a few examples:
Carbondale introduced me to ecology, ecodefense, activism, and radicalism. Through my involvement in the Student Environmental Center, Shawnee EF!, and other groups, I learned to love the Earth and take action in its defense. Through my Ecology and Ethics studies at SIUC, I learned about the Institute for Social Ecology, where I eventually spent two summers studying Ecology and Community.
Carbondale is also where I first became aware of and involved in peace activism and a wide array of social justice issues. Good stuff; 'nuff said.
Carbondale also introduced me to spirituality and healing. This is where I learned about the living or raw foods diet, the Barbara Brennan school of Healing that I later studied at for a year, and the spiritual tradition and community that now have a dear place in my heart. The Interfaith Center here in town has also been home to many precious community experiences for me, allowing dialogue with people of different faiths and helping me to see the connections between spirituality, politics, ecology, community, and healing.
I would also call this the town that has taught me the nature and value of friendship. For a long time, I was too timid and withdrawn to form deep and lasting bonds with people. Through my involvement in community groups, my roommates at the Oak House, my travels that all began with Carbondale as a launching pad, and other community experiences, I've begun overcoming this hurdle in my life.
To sum up all of the above:
When I came to this town, I was painfully shy and withdrawn, depressed, frequently ill, actively suicidal, and generally unsure about my direction in life. Seven years later, I still have a lifetime of healing ahead of me, but I am comfortable among people, mostly upbeat, rarely seriously ill, not at all suicidal, and increasingly confident about my place in the universe. Some of that of course is simply due to my own hard work and self-exploration, but some is surely due to the fact that I had a relatively rich environment to grow in.
I often get frustrated with this town, and many of my 'progressive' friends do too. There's a lot of wonderful sentiment brewing, but it seldom seems to come to fruition and endure the test of time, due in part to the fact that 2/3 of the town is 'transient' college students who come and go every few years.
But now that I've been here for more than my college studies, I'm on the verge of becoming less frustrated with the community, not more. After all that this town has brought me personally, I have a great deal of hope that together, we can learn to create a better community based on such enduring and worthwhile principles as non-hierarchy, non-violence, ecological integrity, direct democracy, and so on.
It's going to take a whole lot of work, both in the community and in ourselves. And I'm not deluding myself - I realize that it's going to be very, very challenging. But after some of the wonderful things that I've learned in this town, I'm confident that we have the potential to heal ourselves, organize our community, and transform the world. All that remains is embracing that potential rather than doubting it.
Together, we can make it happen!
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