Earthquakes, floods, landslides, political messiness...
Three very dear women taken from us... two so suddenly that it left most of us
gasping... And yet, I now have a permanent visa, we have a permanent home in a
lovely city, and as the year ends, our son is about to present us with a
grandchild.
I am even more confirmed that all of us are
afraid, afraid for our lives, afraid for our fragile and corrupt crumbling
environments and infrastructures, and the political and social institutions
that seem to be incapable of resolving the problems that threaten to engulf us
all. So many are afraid that we are loosing the gains that we worked so hard to
achieve. I see that.
And yet...
And yet, I see so many people rising out of
this morass... Most notably, my team in Nepal, they lost hundreds of friends,
neighbors, family members and colleagues and yet are thriving... producing
research, checking in every day or so... all of this when the political
situation there is impossible. I see my students, colleagues and family members
here in Brasil that despite the rancor, and hateful dialogue, hug you, reach
out, open the door, say hello... I am grateful to my amigos in the States who
check in and share their jokes and love. I am deeply grateful and honored to
call you all friends, family, amigos!
What these trips and living abroad have
shown us is how now more than ever, just how very fragile everything is, and
yet at the same time, this fragility gives us the opportunity to see in people
we meet, such grace, such talent, such strength, such light! I am absolutely sure that we are all one
people. That we have so much, much, much more in common than what we perceive,
as are our curious differences.
This year, more than ever, has shown us
just how fragile things are, yet it is this light, that seems to shine in each
one of us, that allows us to give our humanity a chance. It is the hundred
little simple things we can all do to fight back, to not give into the
darkness, that gives us our humanity... opening a door, picking up some liter,
greeting your neighbors, showing up on time, giving a seat to someone else on
the bus, saying hello and smiling to everyone...
This is one of the best forms of protest, and the
best way I know that keeps the darkness at bay.
Each small act can and will become a butterfly effect…
Daniel Orey, Ph.D.
Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais
