Sunday, February 22, 2015

Silence Sounds the Death Knell



I really haven’t commented much on all of the tragedies, loss of life and neighborhood, and sheer hatred going on with the race related incidents being covered on all media outlets. It’s a topic that makes my heart pound faster because no matter where the discussion takes place it is a ticking time bomb on some level. I used to take offense very easily to race related issues. I’ve since come to a point where I know I’m my own man and no matter what others may say about my ethnicity, or what someone of my same ethnicity does, in reality I am in control of how I react.

Ferguson (Michael Brown), Eric Garner, Tamir Rice. For me the saddest part, other than the loss of life, is the lack of genuine interest in having a genuine conversation. Many people want to just make their point or repeat what they saw on the news rather than getting to know the view point of someone that sees something differently.

First off, no matter what the truth is in any of the incidents the loss of life is what matters most. We should be praying for the repose of the souls of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice and for the families and friends they left behind. Whether the person deserved it or not, which I think is a sick discussion to begin with, life comes first. No matter whether you think someone like a Michael Brown was a young child on his way to school or whether he was a large young adult bully, he lost his life.

One thing that bothered me the most was the lack of sympathy or even attempt of empathy. Riots, marches, and civil disobedience don’t just happen over night. I know people from areas around Ferguson and they attest to the strained relationship between the police and the community, especially when ethnicity is brought into it. People like to throw their opinions around and tell others how they should feel and how they should not feel, how they should act and not act, yet they have no basis to go off of. They can’t even relate. You can use your reason about how not to let emotions get the best of you, but can any of us claim to always keep our heads no matter what? How can someone from the suburbs (where I’ve spent most of my own life) tell someone from a crime ridden area how to respond to the umpteenth time someone has been killed in front of them?  No, I’m not condoning crime, but I am promoting the freedom to march when one sees fit. You want to point the finger at your neighbor but do you even know your neighbor? Do you know their past? Do you know their family? Do you know their hopes and fears? What do you know?

A friend of mine paraphrased St. Augustine to me. He said “How can I love you Lord if I do not know you?” I could not find that exact quote, but Augustine did say “for who can call on Thee not knowing thee?” How can you love your neighbor if you do not know your neighbor? If you’re stuck in your place of residence surrounded by people that all look like you and have the same interests, how are you to know and judge someone from a totally opposite part of town, world, life style? Get to know your neighbor. Get out of your comfort zone.

Oh and the ignorance. It’s amazing that so many people don’t hear how ignorant and racist (whether intentional or not) they sound. For instance, I know many people don’t realize that they have substituted the term “black” for “ghetto”. The black population has steadily increased in the town in which I’ve lived since high school. It is full of many ethnicities, but you can really see the rise in the black population. So when a friend of mine told me a few years ago that the AMC movie theater has become more “ghetto” and at the time nothing had changed physically with the building, operations, etc I had to wonder what she really meant. And regarding the recent civil disobedience, I heard a group of people at my church talking about how wrong and despicable it was for people to create such situations as marching in the streets. Yet, we have a day in our nation’s calendar honoring a man who did the same things they call despicable. We celebrate Martin Luther King Day precisely because he marched, protested, did sit-ins. I’d have to assume they wouldn’t have anything negative to say about his tactics. There was no charity in their words. There was no discussion. There was plenty of judgment and pointing the finger.

I’ll admit, I did not follow all of the news closely. I don’t like how race relations talks make me feel. I can get very aggressive and I don’t like that. And naturally, I’m a listener way before I’m a talker. So yes, it has taken me this long to write something. I thank my wise friend for the challenge and the conviction. As a Catholic my fight for justice doesn’t stop at abortion and euthanasia, which is where many people keep their justice and life fight. But our fight for charity, dignity, life, justice, and mercy goes to all parts of human existence. Silence can sometimes sound the death knell.

And now a word from Bob Marley who fought against injustice with his music: