See that photo? You might recognize the man in the middle of that human chain. He got a big prize once for being a really peaceful guy. I forget what it was called…
I can’t stop thinking about the Berkeley chancellor’s statement that “linking arms in a human chain is a form of violence”. I can’t get it out of my head. Because of this photo. It’s a very emotional response, I’ll admit. But sometimes, our moral compass - that still inner voice - really does know the way. However, there’s ample evidence at this point that the police response to protests (both on campuses and in city streets) has been “excessive”. You don’t need to be a scientist to see that, you don’t even need to agree with the protesters’ position, you just need to be awake.
And then, just days ago, there was UC Davis. By now, we’ve all seen the footage. If you haven’t, it’s very possible you live under a rock. That was my school. Maybe that’s what made it so much harder to swallow, maybe I’ve just reached a breaking point. For the last three days, I have been oscillating between a deep pride and admiration for the power and restraint that those students showed when faced with brutality at the hands of those who should be protecting them, and a horrific sense of shame that this is the country I’m a part of. Where peace is met with violence, to silence dissent in the thinly-veiled name of “public health and safety”. I just can’t stomach it.
This is not who we are, as a nation. It can’t be.
Do you get what I’m saying?
I could write for a long time about the events of recent weeks and how they’ve affected me, but that’s not why I started this note. I really just want to suggest an idea. You can read this, and decide it’s not for you. No biggie. Maybe it’s kind of silly, and maybe a little meaningless. Or maybe not. Either way, it won’t hurt or inconvenience you to consider.
Here’s what I want to do: make this photo your profile picture. Or post it to your blog. Or email it. That’s all. Keep it there for an hour, a day, a week. However long suits you. Hold this image in your mind, hold on to the belief that change is possible, is necessary, is inevitable. OCCUPY that thought.
To serve as a reminder that the foundation of progress, the path to change, is through nonviolence. By linking arms in a human chain and saying, we’re not leaving until the world is a better place.
Think of this photo as an arm in the human chain of the internet.
