by Tamara Ort
Sarah is a great influence on all those who know her, but I feel especially lucky that we were friends in our teenage years, forming our worldviews and ourselves together. Sarah and I have always bonded over our love of nature and hiking. After graduating high school, we took a trip to Alaska aboard the Green Tortoise bus. We went off alone for a couple of days in Denali National Park, with only our backpacks, our bear canister, and a topographical map.
Tamara & Sarah
Sarah has always been as comfortable walking the city streets as she is in the wilderness. I remember being with her in Santa Monica or in Berkeley, walking all day. She has never been afraid of this world or the people in it. She walks with her head held high, with awareness, acceptance, and dignity. She opens herself out to the world.
Sarah has already lived the life of five people put together. Her desire for knowledge and experience comes from her love of life, her intellectual curiosity, and her genuine interest in other people. Her intense passion and energy are inspiring. Sarah takes life incredibly seriously, but never lets it weigh her joyful spirit down. To understand her and why she went to the Middle East, you have only to read the quotation by Helen Keller she chose to put on her web journal: “Security is mostly superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.
What I respect most about Sarah is how she discovered the kind of person she wanted to be and then worked to become that person. She has purposefully shaped herself and her life towards fighting violence, oppression, and injustice. Above all, she is guided by her belief in the essential goodness and dignity of ALL people. She knows that in order to help people, we must first understand them, and we cannot understand them without listening to them, learning from them and living their reality.
Sarah does not let the rampant pessimism, low expectations, or fears of others defeat her ideals or prevent her from taking action. Many of us perhaps share these same ideals, but most are not as willing as she is to sacrifice our own material comforts and absolute safety in their pursuit. But then Sarah’s life has never been “easy”. She has worked hard and overcome many obstacles to become the person she is today. She is an incredibly strong woman and it is in her strength that I place my hope and faith.
Sarah Shourd
Beautiful, Tamara!