The O-town Scene

Keep Up Now Anger doesn’t bring happiness When my brother, Rob, contracted the HIV virus at the age of 20, he was angry. He should have been plan- ning his future; instead, he received a death sentence. Back then, it was a 10-year-plan before full-blown AIDS took grasp, followed by certain, agonizing death. He vowed to do as much living as he could during the 10 years he had before the disease took the best of him. He invested, he played beach vol- leyball, he traveled, he snowboarded, he climbed mountains, he hiked. He lived like he was dying; literally. But, as I mentioned, he was angry. He felt cheated, betrayed and victimized. He saw a cruel and vengeful world. Who could argue? It simply wasn’t fair. We’ve all been betrayed, disappointed and put in impossible situations. We all have a right to be angry; the question is, has being angry ever brought you closer to happiness? When Rob felt his body failing, he decided to take his life and attempted suicide. Fate had a different plan. Rob came face to face with his greatest fear, death. During his healing, his vision was transformed and he turned away from his anger and fear and chose love instead. Remember times in your life when you felt love. Were you happy? Did you notice your life hummed along in a joyful, contented way? Rob lived 10 added cheerful years following a path of choosing love. Changing his vision altered his entire world. His renewed sense of self inspired a feeling of complete acceptance, love and awareness. He was no longer bitter and angry. His fate remained, however, he chose love, not fear; happiness in place of anger. Every thought you consider makes up the world you see. There is no point in trying to change the world. It cannot be changed because it is merely an effect of your thoughts. Instead, change your thoughts, and your world will change automatically. The choice is yours; it will present itself repeatedly. You will have abundant opportunities to choose love over fear. The amount of happiness you experience in this lifetime is up to you. “You hold the key to love or fear, all in your trembling hand … just one key unlocks them both, it’s there at your command.” _ “Get Together,” the Youngbloods “Keep up with the stream of higher consciousness and stay connected to the Source.” _ Terry Ludwig Nov. 11, 2010 O-Town Scene 41 Oneonta theater welcomes diversity Frustration over the lack of diversity peaked at SUNY Oneonta about three years ago when several students of color approached members of the theater department to let them know they felt like outsiders. SUNY Oneonta was casting mostly white people; but what about everyone else? The college is over 80 percent white, with the top three minorities being black, Hispanic and Asian students. "How do we incorporate different ethnici- ties?" asked Andrew Kahl, assistant professor of theater at SUNY Oneonta. With the help of the Identity, Diversity, Equity, Action (IDEA) grant from the Grants Development Office (GDO) at SUNY Oneonta, the Identity Play Reading Series began. The Identity Play Reading Series "celebrates plays we should produce. These are plays our campus and com- munity should know about and should have a chance to see. These are not just plays about inclusion, they are plays about individuality. They turn a spotlight on the differences that delineate us from each other, and that give unique voices a chance to be heard," Kahl said. “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf,” by Ntozake Shange. Seven students, all women and all black, read in a fashion very similar to a staged production of “The Vagina Monologues.” Many of these women had never performed on stage. Yet a few of their readings were more profound than some performances by professional actors. They were directed by SUNY Oneonta student Sara J. Deliat, and told stories of other women that I won't soon forget. If you want to hear the voices of culture and individuality, watch these students perform, create and share. The boundaries of sexuality, gender, ethnic- ity and language disappear as we all learn The cast of SUNY Oneonta’s production of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf,” by Ntozake Shange. The series explores diversity and allows sorely underrepre- sented cultural voices to be heard. Kahl, with the help of Kathy Meeker and Kim Muller from the GDO, secured grant money, $780 for the first year, producing three staged readings. The readings were so successful that Kahl helped secure funding for two more years, allowing production of eight to12 more read- ings. This year, the series began with the play, and appreciate one another. The next reading will be “Raisins Not Vir- gins” by Muslim-American author Sharbari Ahmed. Some Americans unfairly label Muslims as terrorists, even though almost all of them, es- pecially in America, have no such tendencies. Join the experience and the conversation, tentatively scheduled for Dec. 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. at SUNY Oneonta. _ Kyle Beckley the Diversity Scene Nov. 11-17

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