A Parable from the Duck Pond

My friend and fellow Quaker Josh von Kuster has written a parable directed toward Quakers, but it speaks to us all.

Once, ducks migrated all over, flying south every year in the winter, and north again in the summer. Their squawking as they flew  brought cool weather with them South and warm weather with them North. They went all over, looking for a peaceful pond where they could be free to stay year-round and the weather would be just right.  Finally, they found such a place., and settled. The migration stopped.

As the generations went by, the ducks taught each other of their forebearers’ travels. How they brought the weather with them when they squawked and flew.

One day, a little duckling didn't want just to learn about traveling and squawking. This curious duckling decided to live out its curiosity.

It wanted to actually travel and squawk.

The flock encouraged the duckling, such behavior being unfamiliar but exciting to them. So off it flew.

As the years went by, the flock kept teaching each other about the migrators. They found new and exciting ways to teach each other about their elders. They didn't notice the weather changing on their pond, they grew comfortable with the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter.

One day, the duckling was invited to come home. The duckling was missed by its friends so they asked the curious duckling to come and talk about migrating. Setting travels and squawking aside for a while, the curious duckling, now full-grown, came back to the pond. The curious duck told them of all it had seen, and how great the weather can be and how nasty. The duckling was brimming with knowledge and experience and wisdom and spoke of the wider world.

But the flock was not gathered only to hear the curious duck. It was so much fun talking about their elders and how things used to be far away in the past. It was even more fun coming up with new and exciting ways to teach each other about their proud traditions in the future. They were so busy talking about techniques and pedagogy they never took the time to ask the duckling what could be done to migrate again.

Letter from a Friend: Crime in Portland

My friend Josh von Kuster writes the following for the Red Electric:

I am guilty.

Before I call you out on the carpet for also being guilty, know that I hold each of you dear. I hope to spark thoughts, not to offend.

A teen has been killed in North Portland every month since February.
• Yashannee Vaughn disappeared near Northeast 82nd on March 19. She is presumed dead.
• Shiloh Hampton was killed at Lloyd Center on April 18th.
• Shalamar Edmond was shot and killed in New Columbia around midnight the morning of May 16.

Additional very recent criminal happenings in Portland:

• A Tri-Met bus was struck by gunfire on the corner of North Williams and Fremont on April 21st.
• Two men were arrested for possessing $200k of heroin in North Portland on May 5.
• Debra Ross was shot in the chest on North Lombard on May 10.

This is a woefully incomplete list of the dangers and carnage raging in our city this year.

In OUR CITY!

Portland is a great town; home of Powell's, bicycling, Mercy Corps, food carts and more excellent coffee and beer than I could ever possibly enjoy (although I intend to give a go).

Portland also is home to double-digit unemployment.

And Portland is no longer home to Shiloh Hampton, Yashanee Vaughn or Shalamar Edmond.

Portland is home to even more self-styled do-gooders, including yours truly, than it is to coffee houses and brew pubs combined, by a power of 10. We all want to change the world, be it by ending petlessness, buying only fair trade/organic goods, urban composting, not eating meat, fighting the violence inherent in "the system."

But what about ending the violence plaguing OUR CITY?

How can we possibly hope to make the world a better place when our own backyard is a killing field? Let’s get together to end the homicide, larceny and decay rampant IN OUR OWN CITY! Let’s decide to raise healthy, safe, secure, respectful youth IN OUR OWN CITY! How can we tell the world how to solve all its problems when we can't even keep our children alive long enough to graduate from high school?

Shame on me. Shame on us.

There are other worthy goals, true. But certainly preventing of the killing of own young people must be high on our list.

The first step to reclaiming our city is to pay attention and talk about what's going on.

Next is to take some action.

• Stand on a street corner with a sign asking who Shalamar Edmond is.
• Write a letter to the mayor or the city council.
• Ask the metro desk at The Oregonian how Shiloh Hampton's family is dealing with his death.
• Go to church somewhere in North Portland this week.
• Check out what some people are already doing about the problem here: http://www.kptv.com/news/27698442/detail.html
• Ask your children if there are gangs at school or if they have ever seen a firearm in their friends' possession.

I wish I had a good idea for what to do, but as I have confessed, I too am guilty.