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Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2005 06:54:44 +0200
MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Just read Barbara Kingsolver's book, Poisonwood Bible, required reading to understand Susan Sontag. Dvora Shurman following stories around the world ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Friday, January 28, 2005 10:01 PM Subject: Susan Sontag, her words as timely as ever > Dear friends, > > This appeared in my local paper on January 2, 2004. I saved it to reread > and > I think it is worth sharing, I hope you do too. > > Warm wishes, > Karen > > Susan Sontag, 1933-2004 > > Editor's note: With the death of Susan Sontag at age 71 last week, America > has lost one of its more thoughtful intellectuals. In honor of Sontag, we > publish the author's words upon receiving an honorary degree at Vassar > College in > Poughkeepsie, N.Y. in May 2003. > > Despise violence. Despise national vanity and self-love. Protect the > territory of conscience. > > Try to imagine at least once a day that you are not an American. Go even > further: try to imagine at least once a day that you belong to the vast, > the > overwhelming majority of people on this planet who don't have passports, > don't live > in dwellings equipped with both refrigerators and telephones, who have > never > even once flown in a plane. > > Be extremely skeptical of all claims made by your government. Remember, it > may not be the best thing for America or for the world for the president > of the > United States to be the president of the planet. Be just as skeptical of > other > governments, too. > > It's hard not to be afraid. Be less afraid. > It's good to laugh a lot, as long as it doesn't mean you're trying to kill > your feelings. > Don't allow yourself to be patronized, condescended to -- which, if you > are a > woman, happens, and will continue to happen, all the time. > > Do stuff. Be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration's shove or > society's kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It's all about paying > attention. > It's all about taking in as much of what's out there as you can, and not > letting > the excuses and the dreariness of some of the obligations you'll soon be > incurring narrow your lives. Attention is vitality. It connects you with > others. It > makes you eager. Stay eager. > > You'll notice that I haven't talked about love. Or about happiness. I've > talked about becoming -- or remaining --the person who can be happy, a lot > of the > time, without thinking that being happy is what it's all about. It's not. > It's > about becoming the largest, most inclusive, most responsive person you can > be. > > > > This story appeared on Page B2 of The Standard-Times on January 2, 2005. > http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/01-05/01-02-05/b02op025.htm > > > > > > > ------------------------------- To Unsubscribe from Healingstory send the message: unsubscribe healingstory to: listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu ------------------------------- | ||