1: free from harm or risk : unhurt
2 a: secure from threat of danger, harm, or loss b: successful at getting to a base in baseball without being put out
3: affording safety or security from danger, risk, or difficulty
4obsolete of mental or moral faculties : healthy , sound
5 a: not threatening danger : harmless b: unlikely to produce controversy or contradiction
6 a: not likely to take risks : cautious b: trustworthy , reliable
A friend recently had a blog post that talked about how the suburbs are a better place to raise a family and while she loves to visit fun, funky parts of town, her suburban small town is just as cool in a "Republican" sort of way (her own description). I live in a part of Nashville that is just about as far from the suburbs as I can get - not geographically, but conceptually. I have friends ask me - outright or more subtly - Do you feel safe there? The short answer is yes, the longer answer... well, here's your chance to hear the longer answer.
I think when I'm asked whether I feel safe here, people are generally referring to physical safety. This is a legitimate question. There was recently a front page article in our local newspaper about crimes rates in East Nashville. The rates are going down, but they are still higher than average. I not only feel physically safe, I feel much more emotionally safe here than I would be in the suburbs.
I want my children to be "free from harm," but I want them to be free from emotional harm and be free to be whoever they want and are made to be. The Webster's entry above says "unlikely to produce controversy or contradiction." Well, I'm not sure that kind of safety is what I want for my children. I want them to produce controversy AND contradiction when necessary. I want them to wear what they want, do what they want and be who they are, regardless of what the acceptable norms are for a given subdivision of people.
I want my children to be comfortable in their own skin and I think you sacrifice that kind of safety when you move to a subdivision that tells you what your mailbox can look like, how closely cropped your lawn must be and what model of car to drive. I realize that I'm being a little harsh, but I do genuinely believe that a diverse neighborhood with people who look different from us, have a different set of beliefs and make more or less money than we do is a better microcosm for my children than one filled with cookie cutter families.
It reminds me of the scene in A Wrinkle in Time when the children happen upon a neighborhood on another planet where all of the children look the same and even bounce the ball to the same rhythm. It feels so wrong that my skin crawls as I read it. Don't we do the same thing on a smaller scale when we regulate every little visible part of a home? Doesn't that trickle inside the home, which should house individuals, not drones?
I have a few goals for my children and more dreams for them... one is that they would find out who they are with as little pain as possible. Another is that they would like who they are much earlier than I liked who I am. I do want them to be safe... but physical safety is not all that's at stake here.
2 a: secure from threat of danger, harm, or loss b: successful at getting to a base in baseball without being put out
3: affording safety or security from danger, risk, or difficulty
4obsolete of mental or moral faculties : healthy , sound
5 a: not threatening danger : harmless b: unlikely to produce controversy or contradiction
6 a: not likely to take risks : cautious b: trustworthy , reliable
A friend recently had a blog post that talked about how the suburbs are a better place to raise a family and while she loves to visit fun, funky parts of town, her suburban small town is just as cool in a "Republican" sort of way (her own description). I live in a part of Nashville that is just about as far from the suburbs as I can get - not geographically, but conceptually. I have friends ask me - outright or more subtly - Do you feel safe there? The short answer is yes, the longer answer... well, here's your chance to hear the longer answer.
I think when I'm asked whether I feel safe here, people are generally referring to physical safety. This is a legitimate question. There was recently a front page article in our local newspaper about crimes rates in East Nashville. The rates are going down, but they are still higher than average. I not only feel physically safe, I feel much more emotionally safe here than I would be in the suburbs.
I want my children to be "free from harm," but I want them to be free from emotional harm and be free to be whoever they want and are made to be. The Webster's entry above says "unlikely to produce controversy or contradiction." Well, I'm not sure that kind of safety is what I want for my children. I want them to produce controversy AND contradiction when necessary. I want them to wear what they want, do what they want and be who they are, regardless of what the acceptable norms are for a given subdivision of people.
I want my children to be comfortable in their own skin and I think you sacrifice that kind of safety when you move to a subdivision that tells you what your mailbox can look like, how closely cropped your lawn must be and what model of car to drive. I realize that I'm being a little harsh, but I do genuinely believe that a diverse neighborhood with people who look different from us, have a different set of beliefs and make more or less money than we do is a better microcosm for my children than one filled with cookie cutter families.
It reminds me of the scene in A Wrinkle in Time when the children happen upon a neighborhood on another planet where all of the children look the same and even bounce the ball to the same rhythm. It feels so wrong that my skin crawls as I read it. Don't we do the same thing on a smaller scale when we regulate every little visible part of a home? Doesn't that trickle inside the home, which should house individuals, not drones?
I have a few goals for my children and more dreams for them... one is that they would find out who they are with as little pain as possible. Another is that they would like who they are much earlier than I liked who I am. I do want them to be safe... but physical safety is not all that's at stake here.
2 comments:
I love your blog's concept and it's a perfect fit for letting your skills and passions bubble over onto the screen!! Thanks for sharing with me. :)
So I'm finally getting around to reading through all the first entries, and I love this one. Of course, we just talked about this at church today so you know how I feel, but I wanted to publicly say that I agree. And I do live in a "safe" Republican suburb, primarily because we didn't know Nashville well when we moved here and wanted to buy a house that we thought was a safe investment for resale values. But these are good thoughts for us to consider in our next move, wherever that may be...
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