I cannot stop thinking about an article in the SF Chronicle about the saving of a humpback whale caught in crab traps and lines. I am currently taking my last course at OISE. The course is a social justice titled Social Justice and the Community SJE1951 HF. The week 1 posting asks me to post about my definition of community. So I have pondered this question and the whale story has me thinking ...
The whale is caught in yards of line rope wrapped around her body - this leads me to think about the TRC in Canada at the present time. The government is responsible for the harm done to Indigenous peoples at residential schools. A fisherman radioed an environmental group to help - it takes just one person to speak up for an injustice to start action One slap of the whale's tail could kill the rescuers - it is risky to speak up and act against injustices When the whale was free, she nudged the rescuers and swam in joyous circles; the rescuers say it was the most beautiful experience of a lifetime - as humans, we gain emotional connection by acting for the betterment of all The man who cut rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time and he will never be the same - relationship building and helping others impacts us immeasurably Community for me is the development of relationships, whether it be repairing damaged ones, creating new ones, respecting existing ones, or changing the nature of our relationships. It requires humility, new mental models, and hardwork.
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