All of Us Need All of Each Other

  By

Interdependence Expands Freedom Independence is defined by ability to choose your actions, make decisions. When independence is understood as self-reliance, however, freedom suffers. If you were truly self-reliant, you would spend your day figuring out how to get enough food and water and keep yourself safe. You wouldn’t need love or understanding, nor would there be a point in offering it. Interdependence, relying on and caring for others, increases options and thereby freedom. Nearly everyone relies on a network of relationships each day. We may eat food that someone else grew, use streets we didn’t pave, and live in a… read more

No comments

No Safety if You’re Poor

  By

Article 1 Section 1 of the California State Constitution was recently brought to my attention. It reads: “All people are by nature free and independent and have inalienable rights. Among these are enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy.” When delivering water last week, we were excited to bring a bike procured for someone in need of one. When we found him, we saw his tent and belongings had been burned entirely by another person. When the fire trucks came the night before, he and his neighbor told… read more

No comments

Losing People, Finding People

  By

On a recent hot day, I set out with a friend to deliver water, ice, and fruit to unhoused communities near me. At our second stop, the elder who normally receives the water and makes sure it’s shared with the many others around him, was gone. All of his area was emptied and swept clean as though a city crew had been there. But the adjacent area on both sides looked as it always had, drawing a stark straight line between the grouping of shelters and the now bare pavement. Stunned, I asked the woman sitting nearby where he went…. read more