The pandemic has impacted humans, flora, fauna, all sentient beings on this planet. The coronavirus penetrates the walls of species and socioeconomic status.
This crisis has highlighted how dependent we are upon each other. How would we have survived without essential workers who supply food, health care, transportation, and a myriad of necessary services and goods that are invisible until they are suddenly unavailable?
Goddard Graduate Institute’s residency theme, “Interdependence,” is most appropriate for this important moment in human history.
In the past few months, I’ve heard several times that “We are all in this together.”
On some level that is true; however, we’re not all experiencing the pandemic in the same ways. Racial and class inequities have led to high mortality rates among people of color and poor people.
For some people, “shelter at home” orders have provided a chance to slow down, contemplate, and gain respite from the busyness of the world. Yet, in addition to essential workers not having this luxury, some people have no homes in which to shelter.
Protests against the murders of Black people by police officers include people of different age groups, races, and regions. The casual way in which police officers killed George Floyd (in the presence of onlookers) shows how easily a life is taken under the guise of legal actions. We witness the ease with which habits that lead to anti-Black violence can shift to anyone, as “law enforcers” attack peaceful protestors.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. – Martin Luther King, Jr
Social protests across the country demonstrate a renewed awareness of the desire for a country in which the color of one’s skin does not limit one’s life chances.
While some see this as a zero sum game – if other groups are treated fairly, then my group may lose out – I believe more people now see how much richer and prosperous our country can be if we see interdependence as a positive aspect of our democratic ideals.
Though we are not physically together on campus, GGI remains a community committed to engaged and ethical work in the world. As we gather together, let us focus on how we can support and learn from each other.
Ruth Farmer, Director
Goddard Graduate Institute
Graduate study at Goddard College occurs in a vibrant, socially just and ecologically sustainable learning community. We are committed to diversity, critical engagement, and transformative learning. Goddard gives students control of their education. This means you decide what you want to study, how you want to study, and how you will demonstrate what you’ve learned. Our degrees are offered in a low-residency format, which means you don’t put your life on hold in order to complete your education.
Connect to an admissions councilor today at Get Info to join the Goddard College community of life-long learners.
