Saturday, November 19, 2005

Day 41-43: Washington, DC

Been with the Stavlunds the last few days. What a wonderful time. We drove through the pouring rain for about 7 hours on toll-roads through Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia (where the Stavlunds live) just to get here...

The last few days have been a beautiful chaotic whirlwind. Mike and Stacy have been some of the most gracious hosts on our pilgrimage from giving us their bed in their efficiency apartment to taking us around the city to setting up a house show to treating us to great food and conversation.

We have spent the last few days in heavy contemplation over the world in which we live. We spent a good couple hours at the Native American History Museum, feeling both indicted and responsible for what has happened to our abroriginal brothers and sisters over these last hundreds of years.

We have watched a documentary on the inequalities of the Wal-Mart corporation, seen a video of Bill Moyers, and talked extensively about our place in this world of brokeness. How do we imagine a different world and attempt to live in it in a non-escapist sort of way? How do we truly bring about goodness at our own expense, not always pointing fingers at others who are fucking it all up... I guess it begins with me.

So some photos from our time in DC thus far... more to come...



3 comments:

Salar37_Shushan said...

Sounds like you've had a memorable trip thus far. Going to the Smithsonian? I loved those museums when I was a kid. Hope to se it again one of these days along with my own children.

Susan :)

Andrew Greenhalgh said...

"How do we imagine a different world and attempt to live in it in a non-escapist sort of way? How do we truly bring about goodness at our own expense, not always pointing fingers at others who are fucking it all up... I guess it begins with me."

That's really the point, isn't it? To really figure out, understand, and practice all that we continue to learn but to do it in a context that teaches and restores rather than simply tears down with no vision of something new! It's the wrestling match I have with my own soul sometime. Some of the monastic readings that I've encountered as of late have led me to this same train of thought but again, the key comes down to seeing our ideas and concepts with flesh on. Glad to count you as a friend on the journey.

Liz said...

Thanks for the performance Friday night! I had a great time.

Liz