Black lives matter
I thought long and hard about what to write a post on. It seems impossible to ignore the issues our country is facing right now, and at the same time I also don’t know what to say (and maybe even think) about what’s going on with the all of the protests against police brutality, covert racism in the U.S, and inequality. This feels unprecedented. I can’t remember a time when I’ve seen this much unrest in our country and this much fight for change. I do know that injustice anywhere negatively affects all of us because we are all connected whether we feel it or not. Racism hurts everyone. Inequality hurts everyone. While it negatively impacts some more than others, to be sure, none of us truly come out unscathed. At the very least, it hurts us on a spiritual heart level.
Perhaps we haven’t seen this much unrest since the 60’s and 70’s, but my friend pointed out that all of the push for change seems to happen at an accelerated rate due to the internet, and social media. Information can spread so much faster now in an uncensored way through social media and camera phones. We are able to view images and videos of protests all over the country in real time, from those involved. It’s exciting and inspiring to know so many people care, and care enough to do something about it. People are angry, and rightfully so. However, I do believe that we can use our anger for good. We can use our anger for change, and for motivation. We don’t have to express our anger in violence, or aggression, or destruction. The means must meet the end. This concept was the underlying tenet behind the work Gandhi did to gain India’s independence from Great Britain, and again for the civil rights movement. Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed you could not expect a peaceful end with violent means. Peaceful end must be obtained through peaceful means. And while there are some protests which have gotten out of hand, become violent, become destructive, there have been so many more peaceful protests around the country.
I’m ready for change. I look forward to bringing our son into this world knowing things are shifting for the better because of what’s happening now, and because of everyone who is protesting and donating, and talking about what’s happening and brining the message home to their children so that the next generation does better.