"No justice, no peace!"
"All Lives Matter!"
"Your silence is violence!"
"Not all cops are bad!"
"If you have a problem with looting, and not frustrated by the killing of a black man, unfriend me now!"
"We stand with Black lives!"
"Black Lives Matter!"
Why are we always required to choose a side? Why can't someone have a simple neutral standing in all of the chaos? Everyday I am being patronized by society. To the point of where my own strengths quickly became my insecurities. "What do I stand for? Who's side am I on?" This on top of other personal mental struggles have heavily been weighing on my mind. Faced with the dilemma of, "How do I make this right? What can I do to fix all of this?" And in reality, I can't. I can't fix anything.
Most people know that I heavily reside in my Christian faith in all facets of my life. If I am high, or I am low, I try to find Jesus' face. What does this have to do with where this blog is headed? Well... a lot. Everyone has their own beliefs. Believe it or not, this paragraph alone will probably turn away a solid percentage of readers. But if you are still reading, just know this isn't some "Power of Jesus Christ" tirade, and my including of my faith in this blog plays a huge part in who I am. No matter how much I let myself down on a daily basis as far as "doing what I feel is right".
You will find there are multiple narratives that the church has on the death of George Floyd. Should there be a "People's Answer," or should there be a "Christ's Answer?" Shouldn't it be both? Some followers of Christ get so occupied with what they have read about Jesus Christ, and completely somehow forget that everything written about Jesus was written to show how much he loved people! And then there is the other side of the fence, where it's almost like an extreme to be this "freedom fighter" where you become highly impressionable. And any new narrative about how society should find new revolutionary ways to be loving is accepted; it should be tolerated. Not accepted if your believing in the general wordings of Christ still occupies your morality. Christianity is still the most prominent religion in America. That's just the fact of the matter. So most ideologies of social patterns and communication follows. If you do not believe in any of this Christian stuff, you can skip this paragraph, but just know that the American culture is anchored by the faith of Christ at the core while reading the following thoughts.
Most of you have seen the footage. You've personally witnessed the death of an innocent black man on your cell phones. No matter where you stand, life is precious. But it's the deciphering of which lives are precious that has clearly caused civil contradictions. People are angry, I get it. But if we all take a step back and think for just a second, I'm sure we can come to this agreement that #AllLivesMatter. So where does the contradiction happen? Here. So it's time to talk about the elephant in the room. Race.
#BlackLivesMatter have you ever lived in the inner city? Forced to not actually have a choice of a dinner selection? If it's after the middle of a month, chances are, a bologna sandwich with cheese is all you have to eat. The potato chips ran out a couple of days ago. So you're scrapping by to last until the first week of the next month to finally be able to have something to eat. The children are in an education system where the textbooks are so tarnished, the teacher of the course being taught, has his/her name signed on the front inner cover of the American History chapter book. The pain of parents who are doing all they can. pulling up into the driveway after a long day of work. Waiting 5-10 minutes to gather the tears shed on the way home to their children, because the depressing thoughts of not having the money to give the kids the life of the ones they see on their television screens. It often feels like a trap. You're afraid that you're one misstep from being out on the streets with your family. You're terrified. It all becomes a never ending cycle. The lack of dual parenting, drugs, violence and crime. All leading the mental enslavement of these people. They don't know which way is up or down. And I know a ton of people say, "Why don't they do better for themselves first?" Well, it simply isn't that simple. It's hard to have faith and believe in a livelihood on Earth that you have never witnessed in person or seen first hand. They can't fathom which way is up, and which way is down.
People fear what they do not comprehend. Therefore leading to various strikes of agendas that are on two parallel paths. We are all born, and we all die. It's a shame that even though we live on the same plain in a day in age where we all can coexist, but identities of societal groups don't coincide. Nobody legitimately wants bad things to happen to anyone. Why can't we all realize this? It's all just lack of understanding and varying of opinions on minor details of life. We all bleed the same red blood. The concepts of 'good' and 'evil' are only narrative. Life isn't that black and white. You can be the superhero in your own story. Like reading your favorite comic books or watching your favorite superhero film as a child, but the more you look into the story and you are windswept by the appraisal of there being a 'protagonist' and an 'antagonist'. If you believe a certain ideology expresses the good in humanity, and you want that viewpoint to overcome the obstacles into succession, that person is the protagonist. And any other varying ideal that rivals yours is the antagonist. But in the antagonist's story, they're the protagonist, and you're the antagonist.
We go to extreme lengths to make sure our minds are heard. Even hurt one another physically or mentally. Hell, we'll burn an entire city down to prove a point. Why must we feel we have to prove something to one another? If we accept one another for who we are, we can make tremendous strides. Bad things happen. But it's up to each and every one of us to decide how we react. So that means having complete control over our emotions.
Emotions are great, because they warn you of potential harm. A self-defense mechanism. Survival Instincts. Sometimes, emotions can be misleading causing overreaction of animalistic human characteristics. Instead of doing what's best for others, we give in to our feelings and we react irrationally even for our own individual moral standards. Afterwards, we feel horrible about our actions. Who are we protecting with our emotion, and for what reasons? Selfish? Or preservation of morality in your world? It's your choice. Know that if you make the incorrect choice, in comes the regret and remorse. These are generally caused by selfish intent. So consider your own feelings as in total; not in the moment. I cannot tell you how to feel, but I can tell you the only emotion that conquers all and saves lives is love.
So to conclude this blog, I think I've covered various aspects of the globe we live on. We're all fragile creatures who simply do not have the complete divinity to have all the right answers. We are all human. Perfectly imperfect. Things aren't what they initially seem, it's what you make situations out to be. Even for myself: Be wary of the things you say through your cellular device no matter how egregious it may seem, there's still another human on the other side. No matter the color of that person. Your perspective isn't the only perspective. Or else the world would be a very boring and repetitive place to live on. And do not be afraid. Nobody out there has it figured out. You're not alone. So protect the ones you love by showing love to your enemies. Even when it seems impossible, you are making lives better, and making this glass globe a sight to behold.
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