In a Beautiful Place

In the politically charged atmosphere we have cultivated in the United States, there's barely any time to mourn. The time to mourn was yesterday--or years ago, when students were killed at Columbine, or Virginia Tech. I've spent another week trying to process. Disbelief. Sadness. I've been watching as my roommate, studying to become a teacher, looks at the articles, videos, and town halls and tears up thinking about how her ideal profession has become more and more dangerous. I've read articles and seen tweets and thought about how different school would be if teachers were armed, or if schools were heavily guarded. I've cried and signed petitions and accepted an invitation to a March for Our Lives. We all have a right to a basic education here in the United States, but we also all have a right to bear arms. In the last week we have been reminded that one of those rights seems to take precedence over the other. Accusations are being thrown across the country--th...

I am disappointed in the federal government of the United States of America. Not that I've never been disappointed before. I am disappointed in the population of Americans who continue to walk around with an elitist attitude about how "great" our country is while we disparage nations still developing that are not up to our standards of living.We need to do a better job of understanding our privilege while acknowledging that the privilege does not make us better than the people in another country in any way, shape, or form. The prevalence of racism here in the United States is one part of the problem. The other is the very denial of that racism. Thinking oneself is better than another because of skin color, religion, sexuality, or nation of origin is racist and the blatant ignorance of this fact causes me much grief. Being a white woman, I do not have the firsthand experience that people of color and immigrants to the United States experience. But that does not mean I...