mr. mokhiber

picture this:

to find respite from a busy day in a busy city,

i escape from my 35-person class.

i seek out a starbucks.

specifically, a starbucks that has a window bar

overlooking the yellow taxis screeching down the busy avenue

so i can watch the busy people

running hither and thither

from my protected, safe place behind the big glass window.

as i settle in with my cinnamon dolce latte

the warmth and voices and people embrace me

i reach for my chocolate bar instead of my apple

and here, in the middle of the big city,

i am home.

today is day 2 in the big apple,

day 2 at the united nations

and today i am feeling a lot better about life than i was yesterday.

at the end of the day, i decided

you know what?

governments are corrupt

and systems aren't perfect

but at least something like the UN exists

and there are people there who

care about people

and are doing as much as they can,

spending their lives

towards finding peace and fighting injustice.

granted, a lot can be done to increase

the amount of critical thinking

necessary on their tours,

like hmmm tell me about this radiation

and why it happened

and how it is being prevented from happening again.

but most of these people

minus the SIT alum [disappointing]

are there because they believe in what they are doing.

this morning

we met with the deputy director of the un commision for human rights.

like, he sat right next to me.

how on earth did i ever get an opportunity like this?

seriously, this class is like a dream.

sometimes a nightmare :)

but i am in new york meeting people and learning things in a way that i never ever imagined i would be able to do. and it's pretty cool.

anyway, back to craig makhiber, deputy director of the un commission for human rights.

what a day of hope!

unlike so many people,

he wasn't a diplomat

telling us as a room of [mostly] americans what we wanted to hear...

or what he assumed we as a room of [mostly] americans wanted to hear.

rather, he was transparent.

he was transparent about the struggles and the issues within and around the UN

and the struggles and the issues within and around human rights.

and the sad truth that lots of governments don't care about human rights.

we see a lot of power in play here

and it's sad....

because we're also talking about the wellbeing of people here.

read the declaration of human rights here: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

this is what all of us as human beings are entitled to.

there is also a declaration of the rights of a child...

(initially written by eglantyne jebb - what a name! - who was a really cool and spunky lady i researched for an earlier project. she began the organization Save the Children [www.savethechildren.org] which is also doing lots of work in haiti right now to ensure that children get the aid that they need. check it out)

anyway, back to the declaration of the rights of a child

there are two countries that have not ratified this declaration,

agreeing that these are the rights entitled to a child.

would you believe me if i told you that these two countries are somalia [who hasn't had a functioning central government for quite some time] and....

the united states?

chew on that.

anyway, mr. mokhiber offered a lot of hope

and there are people who dedicate their lives and their passions to saving the world

and fighting injustice....

note: injustice is injustice, regardless of the groups or people enacting them. torture is torture, regardless of whom is torturing whom. we often get wrapped up in the politics of it all....how many times do we step back and focus on the wrongs that are being done to people?

so thank you, mr. mokhiber, for renewing our hope and making us smile again when we think of the un. thank you for the work that you're doing and your transparency about its struggles. and thank you for your versace suit jacket. maybe it cost a fortune, maybe it was a gift, maybe it was secondhand. i know a number of people who would rant and rave about how it symbolizes the amount of money you are making and that spending money on something like couture is hypocritical to what you work for....but i am not going to judge you. it made me think twice, yes, but it also made me think about my life. because i like nice things too. and how can i be sitting here in starbucks, exercising my right to food, shelter, clothing, free speech, and leisure when some people dont even have access to food? i am excited to go to the theater, to walk down 5th avenue, etc. etc. etc. and....i like versace. sooo....thank you for making me think. and for making me smile :)