How far does ______ go?
This past weekend I decided to treat myself to some time away to
celebrate my 50th birthday. I decided to head as far south as one can go
in Massachusetts - Provincetown.
There is much that can be said about a very artsy town on a spit of
sand surrounded by the Atlantic. First is the diversity that I
encountered every morning at breakfast and as I walked around town.
Clearly I was in the minority as a person of color, as a straight woman
and as a single person.
With all these identities, I have to say that being single was probably the hardest because most were staying at the sweet guesthouse, Carpe Diem, as couples. What was wonderful was that even in the midst of my feeling a bit out of place, others welcomed me whether inviting me out to have lunch at the "Squealing Pig" and was simply kind to me as we had conversations over eggs and muffins.
One evening I went to the local tiny movie theatre to see a German film called Lore. Although I had some idea what it was about, I wasn't prepared for how it emotionally and mentally pushed me to consider the question of "How far does (forgiveness, compassion, understanding, etc.) go?" when it comes to one's "enemies." The film also begged the question of culpability about one's beliefs and how those beliefs are conveyed from parent to child, from society to the citizen.
What was so profound is watching the characters in the film grappling with the dismantling of all that they believed and how deeply disconcerting that is. And the question is how do they move on when the realization that my society, my government, my leaders, my country, my parents, etc. no longer bears truth. In fact how do any of us?
With all these identities, I have to say that being single was probably the hardest because most were staying at the sweet guesthouse, Carpe Diem, as couples. What was wonderful was that even in the midst of my feeling a bit out of place, others welcomed me whether inviting me out to have lunch at the "Squealing Pig" and was simply kind to me as we had conversations over eggs and muffins.
One evening I went to the local tiny movie theatre to see a German film called Lore. Although I had some idea what it was about, I wasn't prepared for how it emotionally and mentally pushed me to consider the question of "How far does (forgiveness, compassion, understanding, etc.) go?" when it comes to one's "enemies." The film also begged the question of culpability about one's beliefs and how those beliefs are conveyed from parent to child, from society to the citizen.
What was so profound is watching the characters in the film grappling with the dismantling of all that they believed and how deeply disconcerting that is. And the question is how do they move on when the realization that my society, my government, my leaders, my country, my parents, etc. no longer bears truth. In fact how do any of us?
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