When trying to figure out what to write about next, I thought about the current state of the world. I thought about how one can feel so happy yet so unhappy all at the same time. I thought about the neverending flux of time, and how in any moment, a person can be dying while another is being born. One person going through utter agony while the other shines in triumph. I thought about how my family could enjoy a meal and a road trip to Maine, while the 24 hour news cycle was bringing the nation live coverage of the unfolding massacre in Wisconsin. This dichotomy along with the continual broadcast of the 30th Olympic Games in London made me think about how little I appreciated this meme and how much this above graphic says about humanity.
Though these exact words do not exist in English, these experiences are universal. That bond the world over is seen day in and day out in the Olympics. Not only is the majority of the world competing in some form, but in that friendly competition, we see the humanity, ability, and sportsmanship that drive us as a species. How even when one's dreams of being the best in the world, one can still be happy for the winner. When American gymnast Gabby Douglas, who has won the All-Around in Women's Gymnastics, falls off the balance beam in individual event finals, everyone in the stands experiences that "pena ajena" with her. Or when poor Jordyn Wieber had her dreams of medaling in the All-Around dashed when she failed to qualify.
I think it's a testament to our humanity that we don't simply delegate a word each to these experiences in the English language. I feel like there's a intuitive understanding between two people when they are talking about missed chances, butterflies/bubbly feelings when in absolute love, or spiritual loneliness. The camaraderie that is built when one goes, "You know that feeling when ...?" And the other person can respond emphatically, "YES." Grasping for mutual accession, and finding reassurance that one is not alone. Everyone I have met is familiar with all these experiences in a way that suggests a common thread. Seeing that so viscerally displayed through the victories and defeats and hard-won journeys in the Olympics is a great reminder that we are not merely members of a country, but of a world, and of what we can accomplish through the pressures of competition and cooperation.
That type of reminder is just the antidote to the vile and divisive acts by Wade Michael Page in that Sikh Gurudwara in Wisconsin. Though he tried to take down a community, instead he called a sleeping community to arms. Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, and members of any or no faith group have banded together since this incident, creating vigils, planning campaigns. Page's acts are just the latest in a long series of hate crimes committed against all people of Arab and South Asian descent post 9/11. Not too long after the shooting, however, arson took place in a Missouri masjid (Islamic house of prayer). These acts once would have split up a community, causing us to point fingers and lash out blame. Instead, solidarity is taking the place of spite and community the place of communal behavior. Slowly people are starting to understand how little ground we covered in the last 10 years, and how vital it is to start understanding all our fellow men and women.
As for me, that though I love walking in the woods alone, basking in the "waldeinsamkeit", I am glad I live in a world where if I try hard enough to explain that, another human being will almost instantly understand, and become an ally. Just like that, every truest feeling can be appreciated: every faith, every feeling. Though the entirety of the meaning will not be conveyed, if your fellow man is truly listening, that spark in them will alight and a foe can become a friend.
All my love to those in Wisconsin and Joplin.
xoxo,
Maithreyi
For more information about the Sikh Gurudwara: Angry Asian Man: Sikh Solidarity Edition
For ways you can help: The SAALT Spot
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