My phone died shortly after that so I didn't know of the heartbreak in Dallas until we got home and I plugged my phone in. Recharged, I opened Facebook and every post was about what had happened. From both sides of the racial aisle. I have many friends in law enforcement on my page and there were cries for peace and prayers for Dallas. There were posts of "an eye for an eye" intermixed in also, claiming that what happened was justice for the black men that were murdered this past week by police officers. There were tears and heartache and a sick stomach from me. I just couldn't even imagine the heartache from both sides of the agenda.
What is wrong with our world? I feel like I have to explain, and even apologize, because I am as white as they come. I am mostly German. I have white relatives. I have mostly white friends. I will be the first to admit that I am probably very ignorant when it comes to black culture. Even typing that sentence I wonder if I'm saying it wrong. Should I even say black? Should it be African-American? I usually don't say anything along the lines of race because there is a fear that I am going to offend an entire culture or even just someone specific. Tensions are at an all-time high and as a white person, I sympathize with the anger and fear that has arisen because of all that is going on. And I've been wanting to make a blog post on this for a long time. But how to do it without making things worse? How do I type on this topic, as a white person, without insulting or minimalizing the feelings of an entire culture?
I pray. I ask for God's guidance when writing these posts and I ask Him to speak through my writing. I ask Him what I should be saying, if anything. I have been called to write on this topic and it is creating such angst for me. I don't know if my writing will help or hurt or not even matter. I still just imagine me typing these for my own purpose, for my own benefit, and that no one is reading them anyways. So when I type with that in mind, it might make this post easier.
Typing this gives me the same feeling that I had the day I wrote on Robin William's suicide. A deep, sick pit in my stomach. There is so much loss and sadness. So much volitility. So much finger pointing and hatred. What are we supposed to do? How are we going to pull ourselves out of the mess that this country has become?
My first instinct? Pray! The people that don't believe in God or don't trust that He will pull us out of this will tell me that prayer only makes the one praying feel better. That it does nothing for the situation. I don't believe that. Prayer is the battle that we are fighting. It is our response to a world gone mad. And we are indeed at war with Satan right this very moment. The tragedies and the circumstances that are happening right now are being orchestrated by Satan. And he is sitting back and laughing at the ensuing chaos and panic that is rippling across our country. So first, I believe we need to bring God back to the center of this nation. There are so many unbelievers that I know that this seems like a daunting task to those of us that are willing to lead this army. But lead we must! We must pray! Pray for our nation. Pray for our cultures. Pray for our enemies. Pray for each other. So much life has been lost. So much trust has been bruised. So many egos have gotten in the way of people doing their jobs.
Black people verses cops is what is playing out and unfolding right now before our eyes. The videos that have been recently posted are disturbing no matter what side you think you need to take. I can't even imagine being in those situations. There is widespread fear that cops are just going to continue picking off black people one at a time. And since last night in Dallas, there are officers leaving their families thinking that this may be the last time they are seeing their families. None of it is fair! None of it is right!
In any culture, in any race, in any profession, there is that 10% of the population that will "ruin it for everyone else." The bad guys from each walk of life surface at some point and it instantly becomes front page news. There are bad cops. There are bad black people. There are bad white people. There are bad teachers. There are bad priests. And what does our news and media focus on? Who is sensationalized in our media? The bad 10%. We rarely hear of the cops that are heroes. We rarely hear of the black citizens that have greatly contributed to society. We hear from the 10%. They are the ones that make headlines and sell newspapers.
My second piece of advice for now? Social media needs to stop being the place where we play out these wars. Armchair attorneys, keyboard juries, people judging and criticizing and watching snippets of video and making judgments based on what he said or what she said. This goes for everyone! Social media has become the platform where we display all aspects of our lives. We sit on our phones or our computers or our tablets and watch videos that are posted or stories that are reported and proceed to allow ourselves to be judge, jury, and executioner in every situation we are presented with. If you weren't there and don't know the whole story, why are you judging? The comments section on any article or video or post is a heart-breaking, horrible scene. Even the most innocent post turns into a comment-slinging, hate-filled montage of judgement from other people. Cute videos of a puppy eating a lemon? Horrible comments about animal abuse and torture and how this person shouldn't even own a dog. A Caucasian women puts cute twists in her hair and sleeps on them to make her hair curly? Degrading comments insulting the woman's looks and tirades about how she is "stealing black culture" because those are actually called Bantu knots and how dare she claim this hairstyle as her own. A video showing the fiancé of a black man dying in the passenger seat next to her? The speech towards cops, saying they are all racist pigs and need to die.
How did we get here? How did we get to this point in our world where there is such disregard for human lives. Blatant disregard for the feelings of other people. Such hatred and intolerance and quick snap judgements. Rather than criticizing and striking down the opinions and ideas of others, why can't we give an inch and be tolerant? Being that I am German, and that my father was born in Nazi Germany, I could teach you about German history. I bet there are things about my culture and my past that I could teach you and tell you about. I could tell you how my grandmother spoke several languages and that she and my father were marched to a relocation camp because they weren't Hitler's version of the perfect German. I don't know anything about Bantu knots (until I watched that YouTube video about them) But guess what? Teach me about your culture! Tell me calmly about the origin of that hairstyle rather than call me a racist and accuse me is stealing a piece of your culture without acknowledging it. Because I would have called them tiny, messy buns just like that white lady in the video I saw did, not knowing any better.
Social media posts have become kerosene to a fire that has been igniting for a long time. And that ignition is leading to an explosion right now. America's favorite pastime is flaming people who post on social media. This is probably why I'm so terrified of posting this. Rather than hoping it starts a conversation or a movement, rather than hoping it gets shared with a message for people across the United States, I fear that I will be labeled ignorant or racist or hate-filled. My message in all of my blog posts has been consistent: Be kind! For we are all fighting battles. The battles that have ignited are bigger than me and this blog. But maybe there will be something in here that people will read and relate to. Share this post if you are so moved! We need to work together to fix this nation. To fix our hearts. To fix our citizens. We need to stop with the divisive talk and figure out how to grab hands with our friends and families and neighbors and strangers and unite together to become great again. There is no politician or leader that is going to "make America great again." That isn't the job of someone we are going to vote for in November. That job? It's in our hands! It's in our black hands, and our white hands. It's in blue hands. It's in God's hands.
Our news reels and social media pages are full of news stories, one right after another, set up for the sole purpose to strike a divide between people. Because no matter if you are black or white, young or old, cops or citizens, at our core, at our very foundation, we are exactly just that: people. We are people. We are flesh and blood people. We are moms and dads. Sisters and brothers. Sons and daughters. We are one single slice of society. One small speck in this great big world. But united together, we can become we, the people, of the United States again.
It's not Black Lives Matter or White Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter. It should be LIFE MATTERS! Life...living...breathing...truly savoring each and every moment of this journey. We are given such a limited amount of time on this earth. Our days and seconds are numbered. We only get so many seconds of life. And yet we choose to waste so many of those seconds in hate-filled rhetoric. Life is amazing! Life is good! Please, don't focus on the 10% that makes life horrible! Don't give screen time to the cops that kill in cold blood. Don't give in to the riotous groups that litter social media. Don't fall into the mob mentality that perpetuates the cycle of hate.
Get off your phones and have face-to-face conversations with people. Learn about new cultures, but don't shame me for not knowing! Teach me what I would like to know! Don't hate all cops because of the actions of some spineless officers! Don't be scared of all black people because our media has created them to be "thugs". We, the people, of the United States seem to be at a crossroads. We can either succumb to the insanity that is happening all around us, or we can join hands and join hearts and work to make America great again. Listen to others! Don't judge or criticize! Approach situations with kindness instead of hate! Teach our fellow people how to interact respectfully and with dignity. We are all people. People. Tear away all of the fear and worry and hate and emotion and that's all we are. We are people. Not monsters. Not racists. Not bigots. Not murderers. Please start the conversation among yourselves. Be kind!
Life matters. I'm sure many of you will read this and think that I am oversimplifying the situation. That it's more complicated than that. That I couldn't possible understand the situation because of my white privelege. And maybe you are right. Then help me understand! Because all I see is a world of scared, worried, hurting people. People who are shaped and molded by preconceived notions and experiences and perspectives that we may not know about. All I see are people trying to make their seconds count. People that are fighting to navigate a lost and lonely world. We need Jesus! We need God! We need Holy Spirit! And like it or not, we need each other! Life matters. I don't want to continue to live in a world where this mess is the everyday. I want to spread love and joy and peace to the world. I want to share the love of God. I want peace on earth and love thy neighbor and all the goodness that I know we all have to offer. I want to post a video of my kids without worrying that someone is going to shame me for something I did or didn't do or said. I want to love and be loved and experience each second and every day to the fullest!
Life matters! Live your lives in love! Not in hate. Don't look at others as simply a skin tone but as fellow human beings to love and honor and share this ride with. Don't let society and life fall to the 10%. Life is at the 90%! We are the majority! We can make life matter! We can make America great again. But we need to bond together! We need to spread messages. Keep it simple. Life matters! And so do each and every one of you! Be kind! And let's fix this broken world we live in, one heart at a time. I'm here! I'm willing to help lead this army! Just take my hand and let's walk forward into the healing light together!
Peace to you, my friends! If you are called to do so, share this post. It takes everyone to be a part of this! Spread this
message of love and kindness! Don't let evil win! Be kind! And God bless all lives!
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