Category Archives: Life

Complacency and Fear

15 February 2012

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We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. ~ Elie Wiesel

Today there was a fox on campus.

By the time I stumbled upon the scene, there was a growing crowd of students all with their iPhones at the ready. Instead of doing anything to chase the wild animal away from the campus, the police were doing all they could to corner the fox with their SUV. It was obvious that the fox was scared and confused. I knew that if someone didn’t do something to help the fox escape, it would be killed on the spot, or by Animal Control once they showed up.

I wasn’t about to let an innocent animal be murdered because it posed a “threat” to humans.

I ran between the SUV and the fox and started yelling at it, clapping my hands and flailing my arms to get it away from the police as quickly as I could. As I’d hoped, the fox took off running. I gave chase, doing my best to keep it moving towards the woods. The police were yelling at me, students were screaming at me to “Just leave it alone!!!” While their hearts were in the right place (I’d have preferred to have left it alone myself), if someone didn’t do something, the fox would be killed.

Behind me I heard someone say, “Get that guy.” It was the police. And while I continued to do all I could to scare the fox into the woods, I wasn’t succeeding. I turned around and faced the cop who was just a few steps behind me at that point. He made some comments about it being “rabid” and that I was “in danger.” I told him that I wasn’t going to let him kill the fox. Then he started threatening me with arrest if I didn’t do as he said.

I stood my ground, refusing to compromise the innocent life I was desperately trying to protect. I was nose to nose with the cop, demanding his name and badge number. I guess he didn’t like his authority to be challenged, and demanded identification. I had none. We exchanged words for a few more minutes, him making idle threats of arrest and me demanding the fox not be killed. “If I wanted to kill the fox, I’d just kill it,” he said. Tough guy with a badge and a gun.

By this point, things weren’t looking good for me, or the fox. I decided that I’d done all I could short of being arrested. Getting arrested wasn’t going to help the fox, or myself. I asked if I was under arrest (after all the threats, who the hell knew what my legal status was at that point) and was told I was not. I turned and walked away. I’d done all I could do.

This situation made me think about how we behave in our daily life. How we just fall into line, and don’t upset the status quo. It’s why we take photos with our iPhones instead of intervening to save a life. We fear authority, even when we know that what we’re doing is right. So long as our lives aren’t the ones being threatened, we remain complacent.

We refuse to challenge social norms for fear of criticism, retaliation, or ostracization. We’re afraid to stand up for what we believe in because we’re afraid to stand alone. It’s easier to swim in a sea of mediocrity. People who fight for what’s right often face pressures to sit down and shut up. Those in charge will do everything they can to maintain power and control. Sometimes, things are just worth fighting for. You have to decide what those things are for you. For me, today, it was for the fox.

Animal Control never did show up. Apparently they were busy. And the fox disappeared back into the woods. Did I save its life? I doubt it. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to let some jerk with a gun kill it without a fight.

24 Hours

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“If you only had twenty-four hours left to live, what would you do?”

It’s one of those hypothetical questions people often ask themselves (or others) to determine whether they’re following their hearts, living their passions, or leaving a meaningful impact. At the end of our lives, we want to be able to look back over the years with a sense of accomplishment, of having made a difference. We want to be remembered for the good we brought to others.

The other day I was asked that question: “If you only had twenty-four hours to live…”

As much as we might wish it weren’t true, we all reach a point in our lives where we’re left with only twenty-four hours to live. And right now, there are people making plans for tomorrow without realizing they’re going to die today…

It’s cliché to say “Live each moment like it’s your last,” and there are hundreds of similar phrases, all telling us the same thing. But rare are the moments when we actually pause to appreciate how fortunate we are to have been able to grace this strange and wonderful planet, to have had the opportunity to leave a mark. Too often we’re caught up in the minutiae of daily life to acknowledge just how blessed we really are simply to be able to take in this breath at exactly this moment.

A diagnosis, an accident, an undetected medical problem…in an instant, life can (and eventually will) change for each of us. And while we’re all planning for a bright future ahead, some of us won’t be there to see it. None of us are promised a tomorrow. Are you living your life today like you might not see tomorrow? Because you just never know…you might not.

Appreciate your gift.

The Moments that Change Our Life

3 February 2011

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When was the moment that you realized who you are, what you love or what you’re supposed to do with your life?

In my life, I’ve experienced many of these moments, from being arrested and realizing that getting fucked up everyday wasn’t the life I wanted to the road trip to the Rocky Mountains with my friends where I found my passion for travel.  Both of these moments caused a fundamental shift in my thinking and instantly changed the direction of my life.

When I was arrested, I promised myself that I’d do whatever it took to get myself clean, even if it meant losing every friend I had and starting over from scratch, which is exactly what happened.  The road trip gave me a chance to see the world beyond the limits of my small Midwestern town and after that trip, I saw life from a different perspective and a new way of thinking.

And while I didn’t realize it at the time, my hike to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park also helped define who I am today.  I’ve been reminiscing about that trip in my mind, thinking about the beauty of the park, the challenge of the climb and the triumph of reaching the top.  The sore knees and the other pains have long since faded and now I’m left with only fond memories.

I want to go back.

Thinking about everything I want to accomplish this year and the amount of time I have to do it, it’s time to start prioritizing.  Turkey, Russia, Ethiopia, Japan, New England, Yosemite are all on the radar this year but I only have a few weeks in which I can dedicate myself to travel due to summer classes.

I miss Planet Earth.

When I travel, I’m visiting huge cities like Paris, Rome or Buenos Aires and spend a lot of my time riding subways, taking taxis and breathing exhaust.  I long for the solitude of the forests and the thrill of climbing mountains.  There’s something special about a bear and her cub walking next to you in the wild, about getting your boots dusty and the feeling of a cool mountain river to soothe your body after a long hike.

So, while I might not be wandering around the bazaars of Istanbul or doing hand stands in Red Square this year, maybe I’ll return to my favorite place on the planet instead.