The Rebels won the executive branch of the Salvadoran election yesterday. A victory for Peasants everywhere--for that is what the FMLN is, and was. Peasants. These courageous folks opposed a brutal government that was bought, trained and supplied by the biggest military power on Earth.So I grabbed a red bandanna and headed out on my walk--thinking about this unlikely victory by the FMLN. Buoyed by the news. If these peasants could pull this off, maybe other unlikely things could happen to?
Is taking a walk revolutionary? I think so. We always talk about the healthful aspects of walking. But what about the political? Did those FMLN fighters win this election because they were populist? They lived amongst the campesinos for years...walking from camp to camp.
What about Jesus? He walked everywhere in Galilee. He walked to Jerusalem...and then his followers walked to Rome with his message of a new kingdom.
Getting people out of their houses and walking lets you see your neighborhood. No need for "Neighborhood Watch" if the community walks. You keep an eye on your neighbor. Help your neighbor. It is a social act. Socialism?
When Reagan took office he did two things: he declared war on any lefty group in Central America (and used butchers to succeed) and he tore the solar panels off the White House.
I think it is time to put those solar panels back up on the White House.
And it is time to see walking as a political act to reconnect with our communities (and that community could be a forest). When is the last time you walked through your neighborhood and saw it as a political act?
2 comments:
Amen! Amen! and again I say Amen! I'm lucky, I live three blocks from everything I need: church, school, library, groceries, restaurants, favorite bar. Can you believe I never had to drive my kids anywhere? I wonder how many of these Middle East wars might have been avoided if fewer of us drove everywhere, using all that gas. Before I had to drive each day to visit Hospice patients, I walked 2 miles each day to my job at Skidmore College. And back. Great exercise! And I got to know all the dogs along the way. And the names of all the plants that grew out of the cracks in the sidewalk.
Very true! Thanks!
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