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Saturday, July 23, 2011

If not now, then when?






If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?

The whole afternoon when I was in the National Underground Railroad Freedom Centre, I was thinking about the famouse words from Merchant of Venice.Though we had tried our best to understand the hard days and those terrible difficulties Africa Americans suffered in the past, I am sure their misery will still beyond our understanding since we have never experienced those days and never will we. "Tell my mother to pray for me. Tell my wife don't cry..." I was greatly touched by this sad song. Freedom and justice are words easy to say but hard to reach. Those who seek them, undertake an arduous journey and still suspect whether they will find them. However, even the road to the destination may be full of thistles and thorns, men eager for freedom and justice will never stop chasing though they may be far far away from home, they may be confronted with overwhelming obstacles or even face the threat of death. "A man can be defeated but can never be conquered." That is the strength of humans that even the brutal fortune yield to it.


What is more, what shocked me most, is the notion that racial and sex discrimination and mistreating still take place in this modern time. Though most of the people are well-educated and polite, there are still poor children, women and men at the mercy of unfairness and struggling against the misery. To better help them, the whole society has a lot to do. To educate its civilians to learn respect and being respected. To perfect its legal system to furnish more protection. To provoke more people to be aware of what is taking place in the shadow behind the sunshine. To encourage more people to fight against unfairness and injustice by their own ways. There is still a long way to go and we must act immediately.

4 comments:

  1. Sister ting has a fabulous view of the scenery !~

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  2. Joy, you have such a heartfelt post here, and I really feel the same. It's just a pretty plain fact that throughout history humans seem to always find a way to exploit each other. We have to keep our eyes open: so many forms of racism and discrimination still exist, but they are often clever and more subtle than obvious balls and chains.

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  3. Joy--that's a really impressive post. You're thinking deeply about our experiences together and making valuable connections between the past and the present. Keep it up.

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