A Green Field and honoring the victims of 9/11
The note reminded me of Yaffa's idea to have an organic farming space at Camp Brotherhood. Gardening is one of the programs I designed for my organization, so, beside the obvious benefits, I see more meaning in a productive green field as part of the work we do. I hope we re-visit this topic again.
I hope this idea is implimented, not only here at the camp, but also at the ground zero site in NY. Wouldn't that be great? And have children and youth and the elderly in the diverse community of NY work collectly to nurture this field and feed the poor?
The note was written by Roger Ebert, Sept 2001. My friend Kavita shared this note with me.
Kindly, Amineh
A Green Field
If there is to be a memorial, let it not be of stone and steel. Fly no flag above it, for it is not the possession of a nation but a sorrow shared with the world.
Let it be a green field, with trees and flowers. Let there be paths that wind through the shade. Put out park
benches where old people can sun in the springtime, and a pond where children can skate in the winter.
Beneath this field will lie entombed forever some of the victims of September 11. It is not where they thought to end their lives. Like the sailors of the battleship Arizona, they rest where they fell.
Let this field stretch from one end of the destruction to the other. Let this open space among the towers mark the emptiness in our hearts. But do not make it a sad place. Give it no name. Let people think of it as the
green field. Every living thing that is planted here will show faith in the future.
Let students from all lands take a sunny corner of the field and plant a crop there. Perhaps corn, our native
grain. Let the harvest be shared all over the world, with friends and enemies, because that is the teaching of our religions. Let the harvest show that life prevails over death, and let the sharing show that we
love our neighbors.
Do not build again on this place. No building can stand here. No building, no statue, no column, no arch, no
symbol, no name, no date, no statement. Just the comfort of the earth, to remind us that we share it.
by Roger Ebert, Sept 2001
Views: 8
Comment
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Comment by Amineh Ayyad on August 25, 2010 at 10:50pm -
Thank you David and Jon for your comments. I do hope that part of our action from here involves planting and farming, even growing flowers... let flowers bloom and bring us joy and hope. Jon, would you please tell me more about the event you are having on 9/11? I'd like to participate. Also, I hope CAN community would join me in celebrating the work of our youth toward peace. I'm organizing a peacebuilding symposium and interested in collaborating with other groups.
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Comment by Jon Ramer on August 24, 2010 at 7:14pm -
This is a beautiful piece. Thank you for posting it. We are planning an event around September 11 that'll bring attention to the ignorance and confusion surrounding how we build our future together. I hope both of you will be a part of that. This issue about the mosque and Ground Zero presents us with a unique opportunity to clarify our understanding about what makes us who we are and how we relate to the rest of the world. We cannot and will not stand idly by. Peace out.
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Comment by David Breaux on August 24, 2010 at 4:35pm -
would be great if this was actually what happens with the block in new york. and incorporated in all city blocks for that matter.
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