seatllestApril 26, 2008
It's an absolutely gorgeous day outside, and Seattlest put in some good hours at the park. The sunshine has coaxed our shriveled, hardened, wintry walnut of a soul to begin expanding and warming up in preparation for bona fide Springtime. So forgive us if we're a little over-emotional when it comes to directing your attention to a story in this morning's Seattle P-I about a Massive Monkees crew member named Phanna Nam (Peanut, to friends and fans) who is moving to Cambodia to teach kids break-dancing.
Says Peanut:
"I always had this calling, this sense of destiny to go back to Cambodia. My mom thinks I'm crazy and my dad just tells me to stay safe. But I'm tired of the American dream. It's a fantasy. I feel more real living in the 'hood," said Nam, who's going to Alaska this summer to make money fishing, then making the big move abroad.
"I don't know how to do anything else but break dance. If I'm gonna shed tears, blood and sweat, it might as well be for Cambodia. I can't change Cambodia, but these kids can. ...Through dancing, these kids are going to be inspired to do more."
We often feel powerless in the face of imminent environmental disaster, famine, war, and devastating poverty in the world. What can we possibly do to effect change when it seems like we're at the whim of forces far beyond our control? This story is a reminder that all is not lost, that redemption is possible, and that we do still have choices about how we respond to the grim realities that face us both personally and as global citizens.
And when everything else seems hopelessly desperate? It's time to dance. That is a springtime message worth shouting from the rooftops.
There's a benefit tonight for Peanut and company at the Greenwood Collective, if you're interested.
Tiny Toones B-Boy Benefit for Cambodia // Greenwood Collective // 6pm // $5 donation
B-Boy getting his dance on at the Baltic Room by Life As Art. Thanks!
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