In Practice for That Moment

The political or cultural circumstances of the individual are an integral part of the self. Every circumstance in life is an attempt at a conversation between the politics of society and the politics of the individual immersed in the society. This conversation is lost to the protagonists most of the time. We need events strong enough to force us into reflection. In this personal article, I review my response to the surgical separation in 2002 of Maria Teresa and Maria de Jesús Quiej Alvarez, craniopagus sisters born in Guatemala. The article sketches the history of the relations between the United States and Guatemala, mentions the health care disparity, and describes the circumstances that determine who can come to this country for treatment. The painting Glorious Victory by Diego Rivera and three personal photographs are the scaffolding upon which the reflections are built. A line from the poem “South,” by Lucien Stryk, is the title of this article, implying that there is always going to be another opportunity for opening the dialogue between the self and circumstances.