A Really Good Map - A Call to Action
Hi Team Jordan and Friends,
Forgive my cross-post on both blogs, but I thought you would appreciate these thoughts of mine. We're having a great semester, and of course, my thoughts turn to all of you daily as we trace our steps from last semester. Tomorrow night, we'll hear JJI Exile Brothers rock out... first time for me, as I was in Disney World when you saw them last semester. I spoke with them yesterday and they sent their hellos to all of you.
Would love to hear some updates about what you are all doing these days...
Take care,
Tracy
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Bloging connects all of us through the internet in amazing ways. We can share in our loved ones' journeys across the globe, comment with sentiments of support, encouragement, and information. We are quite lucky to have this tool to deepen our personal connections while we are far away from each other, or while we are right next door.
With this in mind, I thank you all - parents, students, friends, loved ones - for contributing to our online Global LAB community. and with this post, I ask for even more response and interaction than before. My gratitude in advance for reading on.
Lhasang Tsering.
Tibetan Freedom Activist.
He spoke to our group today. His talk left all of us reeling with hope
and determination to contribute in whatever way we can to the cause of Tibet. The students and I
were totally charged.
One piece of his talk, which rang true to me last semester when we
heard him speak as well, stayed with me again this time:
Lhasang-la suggested that we use our power and privilege in a
functional way when we get back to the states. "When you get back
home, there will be so much to tell and share about with your family
and friends. Please talk about Tibet," he says to us. He asked us to
"ask our politicians to take a good look at a good map," one that
shows the actual boundaries of Tibet during the last centuries and
point out how Tibet was independent of China. Not only this, but look
at a good map currently that shows how the 4 occupied territories have
been assimilated into China.
Last semester, I asked him about where I could find a map of this sort
to show folks back home. We looked and looked for one but couldn't
find a "good map" of these things. I am continually inspired to find
one, or make one that shows these truths.
Map making is totally subjective. Maps are arbitrary visual
communications of political borders that are constantly changing.
There are maps made these days that are "fair to all people of the
world." (I know this, but my good ol' gradschool SIT has them for sale
in the bookstore.) But are they really? Are maps able to communicate
genocide and millions of people living in exile from their homes? are
they able to communicate families being split apart with no hope of
seeing each other again in their lifetimes?
My question for all of you...
Does anyone have connections with a mapmaker, or know how one would go
about making a map? This is where the networking and the wonders of the internet come in. I would
really like to make this happen. More amazingly, I would like to
publish such a map and make sure it gets into the hands of political
powerfuls in the U.S. Government and plenty of activists in all
communities that are working toward the cause of a Free Tibet.
What do you all think?