Different worlds

Ok, I said that I would post when I got home. However, today, on the grounds of the state capital, something caught our eye that I wanted to write about while it was still fresh in my mind.

We are in the eastern part of the state - my wife is going to Johnston Community College for a class on Tuesday. On the way over, I wanted to stop at the old state capital for a bit of research on an un-named project. And, we want to take the kids to the Natural Science museum.

We had finished our tour in the capital, and I wanted to walk over the grounds. I had noticed some good light on the monument to the Women of the Confederacy on our way in and I wanted to try and get some good photos. As we walked behind the statue, we noticed a lady sitting to one side of the monument. At first, we didn’t even notice her, as she was completely swathed in a burka. The astonishing contrast between this woman, covered from head to toe in obedience to the strictures of Islam, could not have been more different from the bronze matron in whose shadow she sat. The woman on the monument is beautiful in a serene, profound way as she hands off the symbols of Confederate heritage to a young boy. Her sculpted hair and clothing adhere to the fashion dictates of her own time, but are flowing, natural in their lines. She is not concealed, covered up or otherwise hidden away. She is displayed, but there is nothing lewd or provocative about her dignified persona. In contrast, the woman sitting below had no identity other than that of her religion. Although she was flesh and blood and the monument’s figure is cold bronze, there was no question which seemed the more alive. It was truly a moment to ponder. To see these two women on the same spot of earth is both a vivid reminder of the remarkable world in which we live, and the yawning chasm that still exists in the way we each see the world.