So here we are, sitting on a sandy beach and sharing one of my sunsets - that may seem more like an ending than a beginning. However, I am aware that as the sun sets for me this evening, it is rising for millions of others thousands of miles away.
And so our beginnings and our endings are really one continuum - we are inseparable, vitally connected: as day moves into night, and as one hand touches another, and as one thought is given wings by new ideas. All this activity occurs with increasing speed and frequency, thanks to virtual platforms such as this blog - which is wonderful, but can also be a hindrance when one considers the vulnerabilities of sharing our personal thoughts and information on the Internet - like everything else we inherit both sides of the coin, the positive and the negative, the sunlight and the nightfall. And connection is the core of it all - let me briefly explain.
Beginnings
I have been blogging for a number of years on different subjects and both personally and professionally - so why have I chosen to share this sun-up/sundown,beginning/ending eternal connection with you? TFPX arose out of coursework at the University of Manitoba, Canada - specifically Feminist Community Organizing: Theories and Practices, with Dr. Jocelyn Thorpe, Women's and Gender Studies Department.
Throughout our learning experience, our class sought to define the currently accepted ideas surrounding feminist activism, and strove to understand how and why recent changes in approach have gathered acceptance. At the onset, several dichotomies emerged: academic versus activism, theory versus method, and individual versus collaborative, for example. As we explored the vast and mysterious new frontier - a place of complexity and contradiction, which was at the same time intricately entwined with all of the familiar and humble things of daily life - the term transnational feminist praxis became our focus.
Imagine the idea of active witnessing, of creating spaces where we can come together in harmony and strength, of accepting that making a mess is part of learning, of accepting that theory needs to be balanced by meaningful action, and of knowing that as much as we are different and perhaps oppositional, we also share many concerns - and strengths - in areas of vital importance.
Initially, I will be sharing items of relevance in my experience as a mother, a partner, a daughter, a sister, an entrepreneur, an artist, a musician, a writer, a friend - and all of the other roles that have woven their way into my life as this female person, we call WOMAN. But the ultimate goal is to use this blog as a platform to share OUR story - our collective story; all of the touch points that define US and connect US and frustrate US.
And so, welcome to TFPX - a work in progress! Please visit often, and send your feedback and suggestions for areas of focus. Coming soon... Facebook, Twitter, and buttons - yes, lapel buttons are in the works, to wear and share.
I am excited to know and share your view - thank you for taking time to connect.
- Pam
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