Sunday, March 09, 2008

but why do people always bring out their rainbow colored crayons when they want to write the word 'peace'? what's wrong with blue?

I went for a walk in the park today. There were the usual kids on tricycles, couples, spandex clad engineers on bicycles, and families. Everybody need to fit onto the same walkway, and sometimes it gets crowded.

As I was turning around to come back home again I noticed a larger than usual group of people in regular street clothes. (Usually people in the park wear some kind of activity related outfits.)

When I got closer I noticed that some members of the group had signs tied around their necks, and that one person who looked like the leader carried a small sign in front of him.

Reading the signs I realized that the group was, in fact, a 17 person peace demonstration.

As I was observing them I was totally getting ready to make fun of them. It was funny to me that they would call their stroll around the park a 'peace walk'. What did they expect to achieve?, I was thinking.

I remember noticing, when I first moved to California, that the city of Berkeley has announced itself a nuclear free zone. I used to laugh at that too. Upper middle class people making political points, I used to think, instead of making sure kids in Oakland live in knife free zones.

But I think that is unfair. I think each step in the right direction should be applauded. Even if the weather is nice, your snack is organic, and people who don't look too closely mistake you for a family reunion.

No comments: