Today, a good friend and colleague, Paul Chapman was interviewed by BBC Radio Scotland. Paul is 78 and believes that he is too young to stop working. I have known Paul for over 2 years now and have wondered what keeps him going: Is it good genes in the family or is it his life-long passion for social justice? At an age when many of us would have justifiably hung in our boots and expected the society (and family) to indulge us with respect and care, Paul, an American, is here in Scotland as a Volunteer with us - prowling around the cities and among its people especially those struggling to be equals in a society deeply divided on the lines of class, income and opportunities.
One of Paul's favourite slogan is 'Nothing About Us Without Us Is For Us'. He brings it with him from his days of working alongside Martin Luther King and his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. The poor, Paul says, are the indispensible 'professionals' and 'experts' in any political recipe for social change.
Paul's zest for life and its many flavours extends beyond the social arena right into his kitchen! My family and I have tucked in many of his delightful cullinary creations and I feel much at ease with his '365 reasons to have champagne' theory!
What a fascinating young man, this Paul Chapman!
One of Paul's favourite slogan is 'Nothing About Us Without Us Is For Us'. He brings it with him from his days of working alongside Martin Luther King and his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. The poor, Paul says, are the indispensible 'professionals' and 'experts' in any political recipe for social change.
Paul's zest for life and its many flavours extends beyond the social arena right into his kitchen! My family and I have tucked in many of his delightful cullinary creations and I feel much at ease with his '365 reasons to have champagne' theory!
What a fascinating young man, this Paul Chapman!
How true is that!! Some people we meet in our lives, leave everlasting impressions.
ReplyDeleteThey are great due to their virtues, their thoughts and most importantly their deeds.
Words fall short to admire such men.
Your blogs have inspired me to a great extent to initiate the long lost blogger in me. Will start with my own ones soon. Thanks for inspiring me !!
-Nandita :)
Inspiring life and peoples. Helping the poor is service to God
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