As the world burns...
What a sad day! I fell asleep last night to sounds of angry shouts and tear gas blasts and woke up to see image after image of the aftermath of riots. And my heart is broken. Broken for a family that has lost a son. Broken for a man that will live the rest of his life knowing that he took the life of another human being. Broken for a community in turmoil. Broken for families that lost businesses and livelihoods at the hands of angry mobs. Broken for a country that finds violence to be the answer when emotions, both good and bad, run high. Broken...
I join with those that are begging for change. But, my voice differs in that I do not want equality of the races, genders or orientations, I want labels and generalizations to disappear all together. It is idealistic, I realize, to beg the country to stop trying to categorize each other. Both sides are guilty. Not all blacks are criminals. Not all police officers are violent brutes. Not all Christians are condemning. What we ARE is people.
We are people with emotions, desires, drives... We are people who were created to hold each other up and hold each other accountable... We are people called to love one another in spite of our differences... We are PEOPLE. No matter our race, no matter our profession, no matter our history... We are people... We are human... humans created to live together. Together in peace.
So, as we watch the inevitable hours of coverage of smoking aftermath, angry outbursts, finger pointing and frustrated rants; lets try to keep it all in perspective. Let's remember that generalizations have been made on both sides of the argument and neither side is 100% right. We must all take some ownership of the bad decisions that were made. We must leave the past behind and focus only on the future. We are not the people we were yesterday, we must work to become the people we want to be in the future. A people who look beyond race, gender, orientation, political affiliation or religious belief... a people who look at the soul... a people who care for one another in our pain and struggle... a people who truly live by the golden rule...
Too idealistic you say? Michelangelo begs to differ: "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim to low, and achieving our mark."
I join with those that are begging for change. But, my voice differs in that I do not want equality of the races, genders or orientations, I want labels and generalizations to disappear all together. It is idealistic, I realize, to beg the country to stop trying to categorize each other. Both sides are guilty. Not all blacks are criminals. Not all police officers are violent brutes. Not all Christians are condemning. What we ARE is people.
We are people with emotions, desires, drives... We are people who were created to hold each other up and hold each other accountable... We are people called to love one another in spite of our differences... We are PEOPLE. No matter our race, no matter our profession, no matter our history... We are people... We are human... humans created to live together. Together in peace.
So, as we watch the inevitable hours of coverage of smoking aftermath, angry outbursts, finger pointing and frustrated rants; lets try to keep it all in perspective. Let's remember that generalizations have been made on both sides of the argument and neither side is 100% right. We must all take some ownership of the bad decisions that were made. We must leave the past behind and focus only on the future. We are not the people we were yesterday, we must work to become the people we want to be in the future. A people who look beyond race, gender, orientation, political affiliation or religious belief... a people who look at the soul... a people who care for one another in our pain and struggle... a people who truly live by the golden rule...
Too idealistic you say? Michelangelo begs to differ: "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim to low, and achieving our mark."
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