Four Articles and a Poem

Weekly, I post four articles that I found significant and a poem accompanied by some comments about what we can learn from them. Our lives are enriched by seeing better. Each week, one article comes from the world of photography, a discipline that is about seeing. Another article comes from the world of technology, hence seeing something of the future. Another article takes up an aspect of our life together, seeing more clearly the other. Another article refers to faith, seeing the unseen. Finally, the weekly post concludes with a poem, because poetry is about seeing words whose arrangement allows us to see anew.

Today, we will review the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, take another look at school shootings, see how ten photographers view inequality, hear from an archbishop at the Synod, and remember Rosa Parks in poetry. Have a great Saturday!

1. How can the development goals be achieved? Last month, the United Nations approved a new set of goals to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are important and worth taking some time with. t doesn’t matter if you can’t remember all 17; it’s just important that you know they exist and that they will be with us until 2030. The World Economic Forum briefly describes each of the 17 SDGs in this article.
   
2. Thresholds of Violence: How school shootings catch on. Malcolm Gladwell has a knack for taking scientific studies and drawing interesting conclusions from it. In recent years, he has produced a series of widely read books. While you can argue his conclusions, his writings raise questions. This article from The New Yorker considers school violence. Don't miss this, please.
3. Ten photographers focus on inequality – a visual story. The Guardian newspaper gathered ten photographers to share some work that reflects upon inequality. I was familiar with the work of only two of them, Brazilian Sebastião Salgado, being one of them. Look at the photos, then follow the link to Salgado's TED talk. By the way, on this day in 1929, Wall Street suffered Black Thursday, the New York Stock Exchange crash that signaled the beginning of the Great Depression. Inequality, nationally and globally, should preoccupy us.
4. On the Road Together – A new Congregation. One of the personalities to come to light with the ongoing Synod in Rome is the Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge. A longtime blogger, this archbishop has caused a bu with his reports from the Synod. Varying reports have come out from the Synod, the veracity of some being difficult to judge. Today, the final document will be approved. Today, Pope Francis likely may choose to speak.Tomorrow, Pope Francis will preside at the closing mass. Archbishop Coleridge, no doubt, will have some worthy words on those occasions. If you have not already, spend some time with this bishop from "Down Under."

It was ten years ago this day that Rosa Parks died. Her witness and courage have moved us forward in the pursuit of equality and justice, but we still have a long way to go. Rita Dove published the poem "Rosa" in 1998. See it and hear her read it here.