Tejana Chicana poet Gloria Anzaldua once said, “I am playing with my Self, I am playing with the world’s soul, I am the dialogue between my Self and el espiritudel mundo. I change myself, I change the world.”
I really like the way in which her concept of el espíritu del mundo or the spirit of the world applies to humankind’s responsibility to affect positive change. I do not believe it is possible to separate ourselves from the soul of the world. We are the world’s soul — each of us individually, but more significantly — all of us integrated. Each of us has a responsibility, indeed an obligation, to purposefully pursue that connection with the essential spirit that resides in the core of this Universe. It is our job to facilitate the outward expansion of this core.
Toward that end, one of the critical tools we have at our disposal, perhaps the most important tool, is education. Education is the single, most powerful weapon in the battle against ignorance, injustice, and fear. From education comes knowledge; from knowledge comes power. Power can be either pure or adulterated. When adulterated, power dwells in darkness and is driven by ego and fear. Pure power is pure light; fear is replaced by its opposite — love.
More so than any other community, today’s educators are in the ideal position to carry out this model of knowledge as pure power. Politicians are clueless and business is hopelessly stuck in the darkness of greed and cascading ethics (with certain exceptions). Only educators are afforded the opportunity, every day, to share a passion for facilitating the exchange of knowledge and information amongst a multi-cultural, multi-faith audience, regardless of gender, ability of body and socio-economic status. I place my highest hope in this community of educators. I have faith the mission will be accomplished. It is my passion and desire to contribute to the mission in any way I possibly can.
“Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education; they grow there, firm as weeds among rocks.”
Keep it real!