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:
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