鲜花

          西雅图笼罩在雨中。海风不强，却有腥味，一阵阵透过口罩冲击我的鼻腔。海对面林立的楼宇和海面上忙碌的货船、游船带来了生活的气息。

          沿着海边的小路向前走，左首的住宅楼前一排小巧秀气的伞形绿树，红色、粉色的喇叭花簇拥树干，草坪修剪得很是整齐。公寓楼的住户在阳台上种了很多鲜花，公寓楼中间有两座两层的小楼鲜花更是掩住了楼体，别是一番天地。

          疫情在西雅图的痕迹只留下了“黑人的命也是命”（Black Lives Matter）的相片展。

          不时放眼海上。突然间脑中闪现2017年夏末秋初，我于阳光明媚中海上出行的情形。不过几个月后我突然失去了母亲。那些亮丽的风景完全失去了它们的欢乐色调。想来这些楼宇中的人家很多人正在经历这种物是人非的心境。

          我对母亲的怀念会是终生的。我想每一个失去至爱的人都会有这种如影随形的思念。这些思念因为美好而珍贵，也因着生活的不完美而生出新的希望。

          社会公正在私人和公众生活中的重要地位不言而喻。不论是种族平等，还是男女平等，还是任何一种不可或缺的平等，包括平等对待我们的自然家园，说到底不过是一个简单的选项。当我们选择平等，也就选择了爱。如Cornel West所说，“社会公正不过是爱在公众领域的体现。”如此而已。换言之，当我们选择了公正，人性光辉会将我们托举起来。反之，我们处于生物界的最下层。也唯有公正，才能打开我们的心结，视他人为同类，给我们爱的能力。

          啊，我车中的鲜花还在等着我。

 

Flowers

          Seattle was wrapped in rain. The salty smell of the breeze from the ocean penetrated the facial mask I wore. Buildings across the sea and the busy cargo and cruise ships brought back life to the city.

          I walked on the pavement along the shoreline. On the left was a line of short trees with a canopy trimmed into the shape of an umbrella spreading on the lawn. Pink and red petunias gathered around the trees. Many residents in the apartment buildings planted flowers on their balconies. Two houses covered by flowers stood side by side with an almost ethereal feel.

          The only hint of the pandemic in Seattle was an exhibition of photos from Black Lives Matter.

          I looked over to the ocean from time to time. Then the trip over the sea on a bright late summer early fall day in 2017 flashed upon me. My mother’s death merely a few months later shocked me. The joyful scenery looked bleak then. There must be many people living in these buildings around me who were going through the same ordeal.

          I will miss my mother the rest of my life, just like everyone else who was consumed by the sadness from losing a loved one. The memories were treasures gifted by a beautiful life lost. The imperfections in life gave us new hope.

          The importance of social justice is paramount in public and private spheres. Race, gender, and all necessary equalities, including the fair treatment of our mother nature, come down to a simple choice. When we stand by equality, we embrace love, just as Cornel West states “justice is what love looks like in public.” In other words, when we choose equality, humanity will lift us up. When we opt for inequality, we are at the bottom of the life chain. Conversely, only equality can open our mind to treat others as our own kind, which gives us the ability to love.

          Ah, my flowers were still waiting for me in my car.