Three pathways, the middle one is broke

“the practice of the people. But I also know that without practice there’s no knowledge; at least it’s difficult to know without practice. We have to have a certain theoretical kind of practice in order to know also. But practice in itself is not its theory. It creates knowledge, but it is not its own theory.” (Paulo Freire, Pg. 98.)

This speaks to the idea that without an application of the knowledge we have, and the knowledge we learn, we can’t really have knowledge. I think that just being a human and doing this creates a sense of knowledge, as such, every experience this semester has taught me something about how I function, but also about how my class peers operate in this world, and what they know, and how my community partners the students that participate react to the world around them. the practice the going out everyday, and listening to others, watching, almost studying them, and learning how the world is changing in small increments for that particular situation then another, then another.

“it became very obvious to me there can be no such thing as neutrality. It’s a code word for the existing system. It has nothing to do with anything but agreeing to what is and will always be-that’s what neutrality is. Neutrality is just following the crowd. Neutrality is just being what the system asks us to be. Neutrality, in other words, was an immoral act. I was thinking in religious terms then. It was to me a refusal to oppose injustice or to take sides that are unpopular. It’s an excuse, in other words.” (Myles Horton, Pg. 102)

“But if in being neutral, you are just hiding your choice because it seems possible to be neutral in the relationship between the oppressors and the oppressed, it’s absolutely impossible. It’s the neutrality vis-a.-vis this kind of relationship that works in favor of the dominant.” (Paulo Freire, Pgs. 103 & 104

I think it goes without saying that neutrality is just going with the flow and not picking a side, therefore giving the majority, power, but I always like to put it in the perspective of seeing someone being abused or hurt. I think that if we were to see someone being brutalized, that would be an immediate call to action, with two options, either step in and help, or join in beating the person, granted, there is side in which to be “Neutral”, which would be doing nothing, walking along as if nothing was happening, but really, doing nothing and assisting in the beating result in the same thing. That why neutrality is so bad, it provides a much easier way of being just as evil as being in a malevolent majority.

I found this semester community to bit somewhat different then what I’m use to, but then again, this whole year is a year of not being used to things. The world is different, and as such, I found myself learning some new things a gaining new experiences. Learning what it’s like to not be able to connect with some of the students on the levels of language or personal experience, but still finding ways to relate and have a common ground.