Hate and violence have become standard practices in the United States. I don’t know how else to say it. Police shooting seemingly innocent people, snipers shooting police officers, homegrown terrorists killing out of hate, horrendously vile racist dialogue from a major party candidate for president and even worse from his supporters.
The “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave”? There is no freedom for any of us in what is happening right now. Hatred and violence are the tools of cowards, not the brave. We may be united as a residents of these states and territories but we are deeply divided in so many other ways. It’s in the news practically every day.
This is quite simply unacceptable in the 21st century in our country that has from its inception lauded diversity of opinion even in heated debate. It is unacceptable that we are in such conflict with each other when what we so desperately need is to come together.
There will be no winners in this growing battle, I assure you. All that will be left will be the blood-stained memories of lives that could have been, the destroyed lives of the survivors and families, and an even deeper divide among us.
We cannot look to political leaders for the answers. While they can be helpful, far too many are engaging in hurtful ways. It’s up to us to carry the heavy load and walk the long walk toward a better, more peaceful, world.
Many ideas for solutions will continue to be bantered around. Gun control, police accountability, tougher hate crime laws, tougher terrorism laws, and so many more ranging from the excellent to the totally absurd.
And while the adoption of these ideas may yield progress on the symptoms and side effects of hatred they, sadly, will likely only be temporary bandages on the gaping wounds within the hearts of those who love and those who hate. There is no way to legislate away hate, to mandate understanding, nor to order empathy.
We, and when I say “we” I mean every single one of us, must take a deep breath. Step away from what are often irrational, albeit frequently passionate, beliefs and strive every day to better understand people and communities of people that are not like ourselves. Stop shouting down those with which we disagree. Whether that’s black or white or Latino, Republican or Democratic, Christian or Muslim or agnostic, liberal or conservative we must better understand who the human beings that we share this country and planet with really are.
So I call on you to put your preconceptions aside and to seek out, listen to, and contemplate the differences among us but most important to find and bond with the shared connections that we have as human beings longing for better lives for ourselves, our families and our children.
At our core, I think we would all find that we are very much the same in our basic lives. While differences are very real, I think an understanding of those differences would actually lead us to better see our similarities.
Share your stories and beliefs, soak in the stories and beliefs of others, follow up with questions, keep your calm when stories and questions may be on the surface offensive, and search for meaning and connection.
I call on community leaders such as pastors, school leaders and elected officials to use their platforms not to direct the conversation but to open it up within the wider community and listen.
We can heal ourselves, we can better understand one another, and we can reverse the damaging trend toward hate and violence. We must to do it deliberately and together, though, and we have to start now.
