public transportation. Memorial to Rosa Parks

I get to take the bust quite often these days. I see many people from south america, mostly mexican, asian people (i can't tell where they are from though) and african americans. and some white people of course too.
it is hard to believe that only fifty years ago some citizens were treated like second class citizens (what in the fuck does that mean anyways? it makes me throw up just to think about that.) and not allowed to sit in the first four rows and had to give their seats up to people of a different skin colour.

'But the violence escalated: snipers fired into buses as well as Dr. King's home, and bombs were tossed into churches and into the homes of ministers.' just imagine.....my nephew was like 'i can't imagine that, whats the big deal about Rosa Parks?' but when you think about scenes like that you'll have to start wondering......

i mean, just taking this as an example of an attitude that reached way further into the lives of all concerned (whether or not they wanted it, i mean, it must have had devastating impact on the souls of young people to be raised in the belief that the colour of skin matters, that there is always a scapegoat for your problems and that some human beings can be just treated like less worthy than others. just imagine. i cry for those souls. on both sides) is already so disturbing. and it is very disturbing that we actually still don't live in modern times but rather in medieval age like times, if you look at it in a certain way. there is a lot of improvement in certain areas, most certainly the luxury part, but structural wise, mentality wise.....i have my doubts that we got a lot further.....i won't be too pessimistic, there is achievement, no doubts, but it still is surprising to think that in a time in which we have the technology, the knowledge and actually also enough experience to actually have nobody starving, being treated as a second or third class citizen, have all child being educated and all that we still don't manage to do so.

see, it exceeds the struggle of african americans to think of just the bus example. of Rosa Parks, who made a stand for a cause that I personally think is universal and not only concerning a specific people in one country.
It is all about humane behavior, about reconsidering what it truly means to be a human being, despite all the power struggles and social structures that confine and restrict us.

I remember reading about Rosa Parks, I had to do a report on the civil rights movement in school....in germany.......i was so fascinated and impressed by her but not only her, by the whole movement....the different ways it has taken.....M.L.King, Malcom X, the Nation of Islam....it shows how amazingly difficult it was and in a way still is.
and in the midst of all this she truly is all over the world the icon for the beginning of the modern civil rights movement. what we get to read about her these days, now that she died, shows that behind the legend there was a very humane, intelligent and courageous woman who could have been you, you or me. we all can make a stand in our own lives. we all can.

we all can
and you know, it is exactly this what keeps me going

we all can

and should do because obviously there is still a lot of confusion out there in the world.....
oh, and of course inside of me too ;-)

so, lets remember Rosa Parks as the beautiful human being she was and thank her and all the other unknown people she represents for what they have done...to bring awareness to a lack of understanding what it means to be human. to a situation that showed that we should be deeply worried about some features in human nature and always be aware of that.

and i say human nature and not white mens nature because i know that it is not only the white men who know how to degrade themselves to ignorant and fearful miserable beings who have to put others down in order to feel big. they sort of perfected this craft in many occasions, but then again it is the age of the western civilization at least for the parts of the world we live at and so we also had lots of opportunities to shed bad light on ourselves and bring the devil out inside of us.....

not that this counts as an excuse....i am deeply worried by that and deeply ashamed of it. i am and i cry bitter tears thinking of all the wretchedness and destruction and desaster my people left behind themselves....

and i will always cherish people like Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, King, Malcom X (yes, as well), Rosa Luxembourg, Sophie Scholl (a young German girl who was hanged because of distributing flyers against Hilter's regime) and many others who made a stand and dared to be. and change. and be beautiful. with all their flaws and doubts and love