Peace and Greetings, I pray that all is well with each of you. I wanted to take a moment to make a pivot
from my usual writings. Last month, I went to pick up dinner from one of my
favorite restaurants and as I entered, CNN was airing a segment with two people
commenting on what they wanted to hear from President Obama when he gave his
speech in Dallas. One was a supporter of
police and wanted the president to unequivocally support the police locally and
nationally. The other wanted the
president to speak towards stricter gun control laws. Missing was the fact that humans had just
lost their lives. They both were using
the moment to push the agendas of their backers…Seemingly, neither was
concerned about what the other was saying nor were they speaking towards a
solution for this problem or the problem of African American civilians being
killed by some police
officers. To add to the scenario, the
police supporter was a ‘White’ male and the gun control supporter was ‘Black’ (as
if all Whites and Blacks feel the same as these two…)…Another conversation…
As I turned from the TV to continue to enter into the restaurant, my
eyes met with a ‘White’ woman who was watching the program. Her vibe read that she wanted to say something
to me. I politely said, “It appears that
you want to share your thoughts, please…Share them”…She threw up her hands and
said, “Why are people so stupid?!”…”We are all human!”…I smiled and said,
“Please continue”…She spoke about how she was a retired EMT worker from the
suburbs who worked in Trenton, NJ serving a diverse population of people
(mostly African American and Latino).
Through this experience she had seen the best and worst of people. She also spoke about being a gun owner, who
loved to purchase them at gun shows and sell them throughout the years. Lastly, she spoke about traveling throughout
the United States and appreciating the diversity of the different people and
cultures occupying the country. I shared
with her my ‘Army Brat’ experience (my Father was in the Army and my first 17
years of life was spent living on Army bases throughout this country and
internationally). I also shared how my
family drove cross country from New York to California when I was a child,
along with helping my Mother drive from Kansas to California when I was 16 (one
can obtain a driver’s license at 16 in Kansas), subsequently meeting my Father
in Hawaii due to him leaving ahead of us to prepare a home for the family on an
Army base. I echoed her sentiments about
enjoying experiencing the diversity of people throughout the country and experiencing
different cultures. We both concluded that generally speaking, most people want
similar things (be law abiding, earn an honest living and be allowed to have
their abilities dictate their ascension (without race-ism, sex-ism and class-ism
impediments). We agreed that it was unfortunate that people don’t take the time
to talk ‘WITH’ others versus ‘AT’ them. Our
conversation continued from the restaurant to the parking lot for a total of
approximately 20 minutes, at which time, we told each other “God Bless and have
a Great Day!”
We’ve all been manipulated by some
who have placed themselves in positions to govern and mis-educate us. These individuals take advantage of the ignorance
of the masses to promote fear, doubt and mistrust of not only those who don’t
look like you, but those who may not live in the same neighborhood, regardless
of ethnicity….We all can do better…We MUST do better…If you’re not part of the
solution, then you’re part of the problem…
Be mindful of accepting
labels/titles created by others, ie. Conservative & Liberal…These are
constructs based upon illusion used to divide…then conquer…NO ONE is all one
thing…There are those who will espouse Conservative politics, but are very
liberal on prostitution….& those who will espouse Liberal politics, yet
manifest conservatism when it comes to helping those in need…Yeah, I said
it!...
I’ll leave you with a piece I wrote in the early 2000s…
The Pledge of Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to God, the Essence of ALL creation…And to His
righteousness for which he stands. One
Hue-man Family, superseding Ethnicity and Political boundaries, Respecting
Diversity in Worship with Truth and Justice for All…God Bless the World…
