Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Dorothy Day
The chapter "Community" was the part of Dorothy Day's book where I think the key idea of the whole book is discussed. In my eyes, this idea is "making love". This is not referring to sex as many may assume but actually to the act of giving and receiving in order to show people's appreciation for each other. I totally agree with this statement. Just like in Claiborne, Day talks about how love simply consist of the small acts that we can do for each other. It's pretty crazy the similarities between how Claiborne lives today and the hospices and farmhouses that Dorothy and Peter helped set up throughout the country. They both seem like places you go when you want to simply live. I really think that she has it right saying that we don't need a lot of things that we get and that we're pretty simple. All we really need is food, love, and shelter, not movies, alcohol, and drugs. As I've said before, I don't think I could ever live that way, but I believe that it would probably make you appreciate the quality of how we live today. It's hard to think that some people live without the necessities provided for them everyday. Personally, I think that the hospices that Day and Peter created are a lot more important than the paper. Writing is just writing and people can simply read it and forget, but the hospices show people through actions how to live and love. This would give me more hope, knowing that people care for me and that if we work together we can support each other. I really wish that I could have met Peter because I think that he was someone who had a true belief in the good of all people. I don't know if they still have places like these today, but if they do they should definitely keep it going.
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I agree with you. I took the same thing away from that section as well. Based on this section and Day bringing forth the point that all we really need is to love one another in order to survive, on top of just a few basic necessities, the world would be in fact a much better place. It just takes a lot of courage and will power, and even though it might not be like Claiborne's acts of kindness, which also take lots of will power, the act of love is just a s powerful.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Day and Claiborne's living arrangements seemed a lot alike. I'm sure that living like that makes you appreciate the living styles that we take for granted today. I also know that I couldn't do it, but I am glad that there are people out there who can and are willing to help people the way they do. Like Martha said, it takes a lot of courage and will power to be able to do even the smallest act that they do. But when it comes down to it, you can't take your worldly possessions with you when your dead. Love, however, lives on forever. (in my opinion anyway!)
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