What a sweet story. Thank you for sharing your unique perspective on Sebastopol, my lifelong home. One gets used to things the way they are and forgets they aren’t this way everywhere. I hope you stay!
What a great way to end 2025, with the best thing I have ever read in the Sebastopol Times. Thanks for making me cry first thing on the last day. Amazing story, Saba! Thank you! 🙏
Wonderful. Thank you for your honesty and loving, living perspectives. In my life I’ve also found that things are not always as they seem, with lessons around many corners! Best wishes to you and all your loved ones in both your places.
Saba Khalid’s story highlights a nuanced lesson in such a lovely relatable way.
Privilege takes different forms, benefiting different identities in different places in the world. There is no one universal embodiment of it. The most straightforward conclusion of this reality is that no particular identity has a right or a natural claim to privilege.
As Saba shares, it’s tricky to make assumptions about privilege by simply knowing what someone looks like or where they live.
My discomfort and comfort with our town centers on this very issue. Our population is small; our racial and cultural diversity is limited; our standards of wealth are relatively high. In so many places around the globe, these three characteristics would associate with a neutral or active support of systemic bias, an ease with caste. After all, if most people around me are doing fine, then whomever is here must represent the natural order of things.
But that’s not how Sebastopol rolls. I choose to live here because it is pleasant, beautiful, and - most importantly - most of my West County connections are acutely aware of the privileges we share here. An enormous amount of our thoughts, energies, and resources go towards recognizing and trying to fix the brutal inequities found throughout humanity.
It’s a bit of magic. We can enjoy a sunny Sebastopol moment, loaded with choice and privilege, AND actively recognize the extraordinary luck and privilege that boosted our own efforts to be here. We aren’t ignoring the disparities and suffering around us and elsewhere. We can also be present for the beauty of the moment we are in.
No, not everyone at every moment. Yes, it’s a privilege to even have this kind of discussion.
While I speak in generalities, Saba treats us to two very specific examples. Perhaps somewhere in between is your stone and tree.
What a sweet story. Thank you for sharing your unique perspective on Sebastopol, my lifelong home. One gets used to things the way they are and forgets they aren’t this way everywhere. I hope you stay!
What a great way to end 2025, with the best thing I have ever read in the Sebastopol Times. Thanks for making me cry first thing on the last day. Amazing story, Saba! Thank you! 🙏
Wow. Beautifully written. You should submit this to the New Yorker. Thank you for a wonderful start to my day!
Hot damn! What a great piece.
Wonderful. Thank you for your honesty and loving, living perspectives. In my life I’ve also found that things are not always as they seem, with lessons around many corners! Best wishes to you and all your loved ones in both your places.
Love this story as well as the way it is written! Thank you.
Saba Khalid’s story highlights a nuanced lesson in such a lovely relatable way.
Privilege takes different forms, benefiting different identities in different places in the world. There is no one universal embodiment of it. The most straightforward conclusion of this reality is that no particular identity has a right or a natural claim to privilege.
As Saba shares, it’s tricky to make assumptions about privilege by simply knowing what someone looks like or where they live.
My discomfort and comfort with our town centers on this very issue. Our population is small; our racial and cultural diversity is limited; our standards of wealth are relatively high. In so many places around the globe, these three characteristics would associate with a neutral or active support of systemic bias, an ease with caste. After all, if most people around me are doing fine, then whomever is here must represent the natural order of things.
But that’s not how Sebastopol rolls. I choose to live here because it is pleasant, beautiful, and - most importantly - most of my West County connections are acutely aware of the privileges we share here. An enormous amount of our thoughts, energies, and resources go towards recognizing and trying to fix the brutal inequities found throughout humanity.
It’s a bit of magic. We can enjoy a sunny Sebastopol moment, loaded with choice and privilege, AND actively recognize the extraordinary luck and privilege that boosted our own efforts to be here. We aren’t ignoring the disparities and suffering around us and elsewhere. We can also be present for the beauty of the moment we are in.
No, not everyone at every moment. Yes, it’s a privilege to even have this kind of discussion.
While I speak in generalities, Saba treats us to two very specific examples. Perhaps somewhere in between is your stone and tree.
Great story, thanks for sharing it with us.