in honor of dr. king

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"The gospel at its best deals with the whole man, not only his soul but his body, not only his spiritual well-being, but his material well being. Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial."
-Martin Luther King, Jr. 

businesses of the future

that's what i'm saying

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who are the barbarians?

thirty years ago, south african writer j.m. coetzee wrote a novel, waiting for the barbarians, which many took to believe as an allegory for the political and social climate of south africa at the time. coetzee, following its publication, was deemed an important writer and awarded the nobel prize for literature.

now, a few are calling it "the wisest, most relevant novel about 9/11 ... which happened to be published 30 years ago." the title, though, comes from the poem waiting for the barbarians by constantine cavafy. it's an incredibly telling poem which could easily describe our society today. how easily could barbarian be replaced with immigrant or terrorist? food for thought.

waiting for the barbarians

What are we waiting for, assembled in the forum?

The barbarians are to arrive today.

Why such inaction in the Senate?
Why do the Senators sit and pass no laws?

Because the barbarians are to arrive today.
What laws can the Senators pass any more?
When the barbarians come they will make the laws.

Why did our emperor wake up so early,
and sits at the greatest gate of the city,
on the throne, solemn, wearing the crown?

Because the barbarians are to arrive today.
And the emperor waits to receive
their chief. Indeed he has prepared
to give him a scroll. Therein he inscribed
many titles and names of honor.

Why have our two consuls and the praetors come out
today in their red, embroidered togas;
why do they wear amethyst-studded bracelets,
and rings with brilliant, glittering emeralds;
why are they carrying costly canes today,
wonderfully carved with silver and gold?

Because the barbarians are to arrive today,
and such things dazzle the barbarians.

Why don't the worthy orators come as always
to make their speeches, to have their say?

Because the barbarians are to arrive today;
and they get bored with eloquence and orations.

Why all of a sudden this unrest
and confusion. (How solemn the faces have become).
Why are the streets and squares clearing quickly,
and all return to their homes, so deep in thought?

Because night is here but the barbarians have not come.
And some people arrived from the borders,
and said that there are no longer any barbarians.

And now what shall become of us without any barbarians?
Those people were some kind of solution.

random thoughts and musings for september 8th

- it's "cold" today. and by "cold" i mean 70 degrees. is summer over?
- madrid is a breath of fresh air. eight days into my stay here, and i'd venture to say i'm more than satisfied with my decision to leave zaragoza.
- i'm getting sick of reading about all the anti-muslim behavior in the united states. when did freedom of religion become restricted to anything but islam?
- i'm really sickened by the planned koran burning by a florida pastor. two questions. number one, what is the desired outcome of this publicity stunt? muslims around the world, seeing their holy book burned and mocked, suddenly have a mass epiphany and come to jesus? number two: if the goal is to convert muslims, how is this in any way an appealing and convincing plea to convert to christianity? (by the way, islam isn't the only religion with crazies. radical islamists are to islam as the KKK is to christianity.)
- the reds are still in first place? they're bound to implode, right? or is that just years of my dad's skepticism of cincinnati sports performing well seeping in?
- venus williams is a class act. i said it.
- i live with an argentine, met a colombian, have venezuelan and argentine neighbors, ate at an ecuadorian restaurant today and am meeting up with an american tonight. where, again, are all the spaniards?
- meghan mccain cried when her father chose sarah palin as his running mate. now we're all crying because she won't go away.
- i finished "a confederacy of dunces" over two weeks ago, and i still can't get it out of my head. great, great book.
- i'm debating on taking the GRE this fall. if i want to go to grad school next fall, i've got to get moving ...
- speaking of grad school: masters in international social work or masters in international studies (policy, politics, development, economics, etc)?
- read an article in the new york times magazine today about why it's taking 20 year-olds longer to grow up. the following passage sums up my life in a nutshell: "The 20s are a black box, and there is a lot of churning in there. One-third of people in their 20s move to a new residence every year. Forty percent move back home with their parents at least once. They go through an average of seven jobs in their 20s, more job changes than in any other stretch." - Robin Marantz Henig
- my spanish grammar skills have a long way to go. while i certainly don't lack vocabulary, my grammar needs vast improvement.

theology on an empty stomach

Gustavo Gutierrez, widely considered the "father" of liberation theology, once gave this short introducton to liberation theology to a very senior professor in theology. Gutierrez was being honored at a faculty reception at a school where he was a visiting professor. There was a lavish buffet, and a senior professor in theology, carrying a plate piled high with food from the buffet, came over to where Gutierrez and I were chatting, and he loomed over Gutierrez. "So," this senior professor intoned, "Professor Gutierrez, explain liberation theology to me." Gutierrez looked at him. "It's a matter of the stomach," Gutierrez replied. "The stomach?" the large and portly senior professor said, astonished. "Yes," said Gutierrez, looking at the professor's loaded plate. "You do theology differently when your stomach is full than when it is empty."


the excerpt above comes from an article entitled "liberation theology for beginners" found in the washington post. the entirety of the article can be found here.

me voy ... otra vez

last night in zaragoza. in seven hours, i'm on a bus to madrid. man, eight months have flown by.

looking back, this has been the best place for me to start in spain. it hasn't always been the easiest or most fun place to be, but it's what i needed.

zaragoza allowed me to get settled in spain, used to the culture and accent, in a city that was not bustling with tourists. gracias a Dios for rober and eva. gracias a Dios for the mazas. words do not describe how much i am indebted and grateful to those seven people. they have been astounding in their patience and willingness to help me as i started out here. i could not have asked for a smoother transition and i owe them more than i can give.

zaragoza allowed me to travel rather easily between barcelona and madrid. one of the other reasons i had such a smooth transition during my first few months were the high school and college friends i had in madrid and barcelona. if i needed a break, or just wanted to be surrounded by americans, they were just a bus ride away. it's funny how you meet people, especially living abroad, but the last of my college friends left a month ago, but i still have friends here, friends that i met through my initial friends.

zaragoza allowed me to grow and develop as an english teacher. this, more than any other point, i believe is crucial to why i'm still in love with spain. if i had had to struggle to find students/teaching positions in madrid or barcelona, i'm fairly certain i would be over the english teacher gig by now. living in zaragoza allowed me to live in a city with less americans and brits, line up more students, and even land a job teaching at banco santander through global languages (the academy i'm working for exclusively in madrid!).

so while i'm very excited to move to madrid tomorrow, i'm also grateful for the experiences i've had here.

thanks zgz, see you in october for las fiestas del pilar!