‘Just an Honorable Black Man’s View’
I believe that there is racism in our country and in all the world. There always has been. Each generation must vow to suppress and defeat it, but as long as there are men and women walking the face of the earth there will be sin. How sin and evil are confronted is how each generation will be defined. As Blaise Pascal pointed out 3 centuries ago, what fills the holes in our hearts determines who we are. Hate is ubiquitous in the world and is a two way street that crosses all racial and ethnic lines. There are white and Brown and Black racists, just like bigots come in many flavors. No single group has a monopoly on racism and we are seeing that today.
I do not believe that when words like “systemic” and “institutional” are used to describe hate, we haven’t moved any closer to finding solutions to the problems created by hate. Man’s dehumanizing actions are the result of a loss of respect for life and hate. These are the two elements that define racism. So hate and the loss of respect for life are what need to be addressed and these are only found in the hearts of individuals. Communal atonement only diffuses responsibility.
If you are a Christian we are all one with the Cross. We are equal before God. That is what is meant by Jefferson’s words in The Declaration. That is why many of us consider ourselves to be a “Christian Republic” The concept of a “common humanity” when used by people who don’t have a common faith in God becomes leverage for political gain and power. Two nights ago there were 85 people shot and 18 killed on Chicago streets. In almost every instance, it was black on black. Each of these lives has purpose and meaning. Where is the outrage? Why isn’t the life of retired St. Louis Police Captain David Dorn being celebrated and grieved? Talk about a heroic life of service to others in his community. Ans. The circumstances of his death do not fit the political narrative of the day. Where is the outrage?
I don’t walk the streets or have social interactions where I am reminded constantly of my skin color. Nor have I ever been made to feel inferior because of my physical appearance. I cannot imagine what that would be like. Would you feel safer being a white man walking the streets of the Chicago 2nd Ward at night, or a black man walking the streets of Boise at night? Or what about a Black man walking Chicago’s 2nd Ward at night? This reality is never reported on. The courage of the entire mainstream media if placed in the collective skulls of CNN/MSNBC/CBS/etc. news anchors would rattle around like marbles in a cigar box. Report the news please not just the stories that support your narrative.
You don’t have to be Black to be enraged by the pathologic cop or the three cowards that stood by and watched. But I’ve been enraged before when I have lost a patient on the operating room table who was shot in the chest by a rival gang member my patient was an 11-year-old Hispanic kid and the shooter was a 15-year-old black kid. And that was one of many such situations.
If I were a Black man I could easily see himself leading a race riot, but that wouldn’t make it right. How is that holding anyone accountable? It only hurts those in the neighborhood and your friends and neighbors Anger is like entropy when focused it can be a great force, when allowed to dissipate in all directions it is useless.
The bottom line is that in our country across all social classes and ethnicities there has been a loss of respect for life. It is easy to lose that sense of reverence and respect for your fellow man, when we 1st of all don’t love God and respect ourselves. It is easy to dehumanize another person when you don’t appreciate that we are all “created in His image”. No God-No Peace-No Peace-Hate. As Blaise Pascal continued only if God fills the hole in our heart will hate and evil be displaced?
The failed progressive programs of the past 60 years and their $12 trillion investment in poverty interdiction has now been exposed. The only cover for failed policy and government programs is to blame someone else. Blame “white privilege”. Blame “systemic institutional fill in the blank” racism. Don’t look into your own heart. Don’t admit that your programs have destroyed the Black family, the Black church, the Black social clubs and Black Colleges. Don’t admit that your programs have sucked the soul out of the Black Community.
And who by the way who is more important. George Floyd Police Captain David Dorn or one of the 550,000 unborn children that will be aborted this year in the USA. The issue is a respect for life and hate and that crosses many different situations.
Time for a new experiment. And that is just what Mr. Trump is doing. MAGA
2 replies on “No Bitter Angry Agenda”
I can’t even express how much I love this story. Thank you for articulating what I understand to be the foundation of our spiral downward. Bless you, and May your words ring far and wide.
Thank you
jml