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Celia Ann Leaman lives in British Columbia, Canada, and writes in several genres she likes to call 'tales straight from the heart'. Mary's Child (http://www.awe-struck.net) is one such tale. Details of her other publications can be found at http://www.islandserve.com/~paradise. A version of "On Higher Ground" was first published in Royal Scribe 2000. On
Higher Ground I once had a dream in which I was considering moving next to a black/Irish neighborhood. When I woke up I mused for a while, thinking about the implications: I have an English background and my husband is a white South African, two cultures that historically have persecuted my prospective dream-neighbors. Though we might personally feel comfortable living next to them, they might feel very wary about us. And yet, imagine if we met those people through the Internet and, not knowing one another's backgrounds, found we had much in common and became really close friends. Imagine if we decided to meet. Would we--because of race, upbringing and social circumstance--be vulnerable to ingrained prejudice and lose our friendship? Or would we be able to embrace one another, if only for the duration of the meeting, and celebrate our differences because we had already stepped beyond the barriers that a physical acquaintance might have set up? I like to think the latter would happen. And no matter how long or short the new friendship might last, it would prove that it is possible to overcome the obstacles that preconceived ideas present. I think what prompted the dream is my avid use of the Internet. I am in touch with other artists who share a common theme, yet unless a closer friendship occurs, we rarely ask anything more personal than where the other might live. What matters is our communication. And because we are meeting beyond the visual, we meet on higher ground. When we share common interests with others, certain chains, including prejudice or preconceived ideas, fall away. It’s very uplifting to think if this is happening with me it must be occurring with others, and how, as the Internet is made available to more of the world’s population, how it will happen even more in the future. Everything that comes to the earth has a positive and negative side. Unfortunately there are always those who will use the Internet as a vehicle to exploit and hurt others, yet I believe this facility could be one of the greatest gifts to mankind if used positively. I would even go one step further and say it may even help to save the world. Because maybe the Internet has been given to us so that like-souls can be in touch and consequently create an invisible force of love that will, in time, dispel ignorance and fear. It is ironic that through the anonymity of the Internet we will find how much we have in common with others and stop shunning one another because of our historical and cultural differences. One day it might even be possible to live anywhere with anyone, and for everyone to feel comfortable. Read Jay, the Farmer's Daughter by Celia Ann Leaman at the Fiction Hub. Back to Articles Contents Page
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