"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I grew up having a great respect for authority and authority figures. My parents made sure that my sisters and I followed a civil path. What I did not realize as a kid, was not all of those in a position of authority use it correctly, or fairly. There's a price to be paid for forgetting to question what is the truth. The truth is this...We have not learned a thing. No amount of history, and the tragedies that we have witnessed have seemed to correct what will always be true about the human condition and that is, there will always be varying degrees of ignorance and people will will turn a blind eye to the truth out of fear. Hatred arises from ignorance as well. It is easier to act violently than to understand or walk in someone else's shoes. Our nation is angry.
Our nation is angry for a multitude of reasons. We no longer feel safe. Our ability to reason has been replaced by the lack of acceptance. We live in a society that was built on rebellion and the abuse of one culture over the other. Why hasn't anything changed? It hasn't changed because so many people are hurting and trying to find anything to replace their stress and their misfortune. Poverty, sickness and fear make us vulnerable...and we are vulnerable. All of us can find ourselves on the other side of misfortune. Most of us have experienced some form of injustice. Some more than others have been victimized generation after generation. Racisim exists because we allow it to exist and one would think we would all just be too tired of the same history to be angry with anyone. The pandemic has not even changed the determination some have to harm. Human nature, unless we correct the battle between the "haves and the have-nots," wil continue to harm itself. We need to level the playing field.
We need to feed the hungry. We need to take a look at our politics and make our government accountable for these inequalities. Government is not paying attention nor does it care to pay attention because those who hold office are well-off and playing the politics that appeals to the lowest common denominator. We have allowed ourselves to remain ignorant and now, now the truth is right in our faces and we need to make a very conscious effort to find our love and our empathy before we lose all that we have. We need to look in the mirror and take an honest look at what we want. Do we want civility and peace or chaos? Are we going to self-destruct or take a look at ourselves and realize that our world is small and we are multi-cultural. One size does not fit all.
We need to self-moderate our behavior and our values and that applies to all of those who work within the public sector. We need to continue to have a system that doesn't hide behind it's dirty laundry but embraces it and corrects for the good of its people. ALL PEOPLE. We have the potential to change but only if we can look at the truth. The truth is there is hate. There is anger. History is remaking itself or repeating itself. It depends on how we look at it.
We need to find a more compassionate way to help those who can not help themselves. Prayer is not enough. Talking is not enough. If we are enjoying the comforts of a decent, comfortable life, then we need to appreciate it by sharing what we can. Peaceful protest matters too. We are allowed to have our voices heard. We are allowed to voice an opinion and to disagree...peacefully. People respond with violence when they believe no one hears them. Their behavior is dictated by the the behavior they have experienced. I say we listen. I say we start listening to each other. I say we take the politics out of what we are witnessing right now and participate publicly our desire to correct what is obviously wrong. That takes courage. That takes character. That takes love not politics.
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