Dear Reader,
October somehow seems more chaotic than September, but also its own waiting period of sorts. Waiting for the pumpkin bread or cookies to finish baking in our apartment ovens, waiting for the New England chill to set in, waiting for your costume to be shipped in time (I might be projecting).
As a Senior, graduation draws ever closer but still out of reach, and I find myself vacillating between full-time student and full-time adult. As election season draws to a close, we wait for the rest of our peers and the nation to go to the polls.
Waiting is not something that comes easily in a nation where companies set out decorations for the next holiday before the current one has even been celebrated. While waiting is a challenge in our fast-paced American culture and even on-campus culture of overcommitment and anticipating the trials of post-grad life, waiting doesn’t necessarily mean staying immobile in our own fatalism or overwhelm.
It also doesn’t mean ignoring current events and preserving a fragile sense of “peace” which we confuse for unawareness. We must also recognize that waiting is a privilege, and that some communities don’t have the privilege of being able to wait for justice, or accessible housing, or food.
Yet, waiting is an opportunity for us to engage prayerfully and politically with our communities. I encourage you to register to vote and vote when you have the chance. While I often find that there is a perception of Gordon as apolitical or an idea that Christians should be apolitical, changes in government and in foreign policy cannot take place unless we, as students, make our concerns known and show up in the voting booths. As Christians, we have a responsibility to advocate for justice and be peacemakers, and support leaders who share these values and seek to unite, rather than divide.
I hope in capacity that the fallen leaves remind you of the civilians who have fallen into death and poverty throughout the ongoing Israel-Palestine War. I hope that you pick up these leaves and take them with you, commemorating the distinctive colors and beauty of each one and knowing that unlike the inevitable fall of leaves with the changing of seasons, the violence can be stopped, and a ceasefire is possible.
Yours,
Emma Feria, Editor in Chief
Leave a Reply