Race is the great taboo in our society. We are afraid to talk about it. White folks fear their unspoken views will be deemed racist. People of color are filled with sorrow and rage at unrighted wrongs. Drowning in silence, we are brothers and sisters drowning each other. Once we decide to transform ourselves from fearful caterpillars into courageous butterflies, we will be able to bridge the racial gulf and move forward together towards a bright and colorful future.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of openly discussing race to overcome societal taboos and move towards a harmonious future.
Eva Paterson's quote addresses the societal reluctance to discuss race, highlighting the fears and emotions that surround this taboo topic. She urges individuals to transform their fears into courage, suggesting that such a change is necessary to bridge racial divides and work collaboratively towards a hopeful, inclusive future. The metaphor of 'caterpillars' transforming into 'butterflies' reflects the potential for growth and positive change when people confront their fears and engage in meaningful dialogue about race.
In practice
During a community meeting on social justice, this quote can be used to inspire open dialogue about race.
The only way to get change is not through the courts or - heaven forbid - the politicians, but through a change of human consciousness and through a change of heart. Only through the arts - music, poetry, dance, painting, writing - "can we really reach each other.
It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.
Thus the regime has deprived Iranian women not just of their present rights, but also of their history and their past.
The monstropolous beast had left his bed. The two hundred miles a hour wind had loosed his chains. He seized hold of his dikes and ran forward until he met the quarters; uprooted them like grass and rushed on after his supposed-to-be conquerors, rolling the dikes, rolling the houses, rolling the people in the houses along with other timbers. The sea was walking the earth with a heavy heel.
...how many times must the cannon balls fly _x000D_ _x000D_ Before they're forever banned?
We live in a quick-fix society where we need instant gratification for everything. Too fat? Get lipo-sucked. Stringy hair? Glue on extensions. Wrinkles and lines? Head to the beauty shop for a pot of the latest miracle skin stuff. It's all a beautiful £1 billion con foisted upon insecure women by canny cosmetic conglomerates.
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