"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe." He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." ~Albert Einstein
Editor's Note
Life is a journey all must travel. The paths may be narrow or straight, long or short, rocky or smooth. Sometimes we control the path before us. Other times that path is sewn together by circumstances outside our control. Compassion begins with being aware of another’s path and experiences.
The quality of our humanity is defined by the care and kindness we exhibit. Our actions communicate our values. We, as human beings, desire to enjoy life in abundance and to thrive daily with intent and passion. We choose what will define our individual human experiences.
“The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life,” commented Jane Addams, a social reformer and activist. Meaning, until humanity can live equally with compassion and concern for all beings, humanity cannot live fully.
Social activist Paul Rogat Loeb, the author of The Impossible Will Take A Little While, stressed that social change comes about from one person willing to stand up for what is right, not necessarily what is comfortable. Standing up involves being aware of others’ lives and the struggles they may be going through.
As you read these articles, we hope you feel an emotional pull to help others in need, to withhold prejudice judgment, and find opportunities to make a difference.
The magazine project encompasses a semester’s work of creation. The pieces this magazine contains began as assignments that went through several processes of editing, revision, and adaptation. Represented here is the final product of collaborative minds. This magazine was designed to create awareness and compassion. The authors’ goals are to educate the public to the social injustices and needs in the community and to ignite a resolution to affect a change in the audience who read it.
The social issues these four authors chose to write about share a connection. Each author chose his or her social injustice topic based on various life experiences and exposures to these social issues. Jessica explores child abuse. Christine gives homelessness a relevant face. Andrew examines poverty and the welfare system. Meggan investigates the stigma of the mentally ill. These issues emotionally brand the recipient and influence future experiences.
Throughout the semester under the guidance of an instructor, the authors have learned to write to an intended spectator with appropriate eloquence. They learned the different facets of the rhetoric triangle as each project revision took on a different form, genre and audience. The authors have learned to express thoughts and feelings through different outlets, media, and sources. As each piece changed, new ways to tell these stories developed.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to our editor in chief, Christine, who has kept us task orientated and focused throughout the entire process. She has offered strong and valuable advice and has always been available for assistance when needed. We appreciate our lead writer, Meggan, who edited each of our pieces and made sure each author’s writing flowed well and synergized together as a whole. We graciously acknowledge Jessica, our visual editor, who designed the overall look of the magazine to be visually appealing, well structured and easy to navigate. Last but not least, thanks to our research manager, Andrew who combed through each piece to ensure proper MLA format and citations and provided a strong background for the projects presented. Thank you all for your time on behalf of this project.
