Wow, what a wild ride these last few months have been. All I keep reading in my social media timelines is Race this and Race that. Too often, we forget that we are all running this RACE together... this Human Race. With every culture and ethnicity comes individuals who are responsible for their own actions and should not reflect on the whole of any group. That includes the people who are charged to serve and protect and influence the public good. Police, Politicians, Military, and Civilians are all PEOPLE!!! We all have people who love and care about us. We all have lives that matter to someone. We all face our own set of personal obstacles and issues. When we start separating people into groups and make blanket assumptions based on perceived characteristics of a group ( without considering the individual or the specific circumstances) it is detrimental to us all. The US/Them mentality is the weakness of every great society. It is the root of injustice. It is the root of inequality. It is the root of racism and prejudice. What we all must realize is, there is NO THEM....There is only us. We who inhabit this planet at this time for this purpose. The differences that make us unique, be they race, religion, gender, whatever....still make us human.
Being human, comes with flaws and bad decisions and mistakes. They do not have to define us. Just as our differences do not have to separate us. The beauty of this creature called man is in its variety. If everyone in the world were exactly like you (as wonderful as you are) it would get pretty boring, relatively quickly.
The other thing I am seeing a lot of is, the rush to judgment to categorize people without a full scope of knowledge as either a criminal or an innocent (largely based on the preconceived notions brought on by the aforementioned separations)... I would caution against this... only because without knowledge, we perish. Many are in fact perishing due to lack of knowledge..... Be it the lack of knowledge in relating to each other, lack of knowledge in approaching situations with care and empathy, or lack of knowledge of law and legal procedure (both by the suspect population and law enforcers)... I encourage respect... for everyone. We can argue and debate after lives are lost about their worth all day until we are blue in the face.... without mutual respect, nothing is learned, gained or accomplished and lives cannot be saved. It's time to CARE for each other. It's time to recognize that all communities prosper when we treat the least as well as we do the most. No one is looking to excuse criminal behavior. No one is looking to condone it in any way. All of us are looking for fairness and justice.
Lastly, regardless of how bad it may seem.... LOVE WINS!!! Ultimately, the power of those who would seek good and would stand for what is right (despite all odds) will prevail. Darkness cannot overpower Light. Be the light. Be the Love.
Be Well,
Carmen L. Miller