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Today I'm using this affirmation. I chose "learning from" the World Around Me because... well, you'll have to read the post ;) |
Good morning free people of America,
I am sipping coffee in my bed and thinking about racism this morning, but it is not with a heavy heart. I see a nation of people standing up against something together and I have something noble to fight for.
Over the last week I've been doing my research to educate myself about what is going on. I don't approve of racism or murder, so it's easy to get behind the Black Lives Matter movement. I've posted a few things on Facebook and spurred some conversation, plus I've been talking with friends and family members about it.
It's not that I'm some expert, but I don't think that matters. I have this strong belief that its more about asking the right questions in a group conversation than offering the right solution, or offering a solution at all.
In my interactions, there's been one goal: find common ground.
I have a very diverse group of friends and family. Growing up in a conservative farm town and now living in probably the most liberal country in the world, Holland, the friends I've kept or made along the way all view this issue very differently. But as we go back and forth about what is the real issue here, I hear from all of them that murder is wrong.
As my Republican friends affirm that white people are killed by police officers, too, I do not hear opposition, I hear common ground. None of us are saying that murder is a-okay! That's something! So if an American citizen being killed by police officers is a red flag, shan't we all address it? Once we realize that we have the same goal we can start to have a conversation about the ways we can come together and affect change. Even the police force can get on board!
Opening these conversations can sometimes make one feel weary and hopeless, because it opens up a whole can of worms. The issues are deeply intertwined and complicated. One bad result is caused by a million compounded decisions that were all made for the greater good, and we easily veer off track and begin blaming whichever parties were responsible for making them. I'm just gunna come out and say it, it's all pretty fucked.
By and large, Americans agree that there are major flaws in some of our systems. The prison system is entirely overpopulated and full of innocent people. Although marijuana use is now legal, men and women all over the country still remain behind bars serving time for growing, using, selling, or carrying the substance.
Our police brutality numbers are incredibly high, and we hear people from all over the world in total wonder at why Americans are dying at the hands of police officers at all. Funded by taxpayer dollars, the police forces in America equip themselves with stealth vehicles, come up with special task forces, and go undercover to sniff out and eradicate "bad guys", but we've all felt screwed over by a police officer before. So many of us have filed a report about a very traumatic event and found the officers unable or unwilling to help. There are millions of Americans who have, at one point or another, been disappointed in our system, felt hopeless and downright angry. This is not to say that every police officer is a bad person. I believe a lot of police officers want to enrich their communities, but I think their approach is all wrong. Americans shouldn't be afraid that the police are watching them, waiting around the bend, they should feel comfortable confiding in them and helping them maintain a strong, healthy community.
The health care system is a subject of constant debate, since millions of Americans living in poverty don't get good enough coverage, middle working class America can't afford it, and while we're on the topic of health care, half of the country is hooked on opiods. (This is not a real statistic, for you sticklers.) Many of those who get addicted to narcotics abuse them until they can't afford them anymore and end up on the streets. The homeless population is crazy high and a lot of them are disabled, mentally ill, or addicted to substances. Refuge centers have to turn them away. Cities don't have enough resources.
These are just a few of the many problems America faces, and like I said, it can get pretty tiring. But the reason that I don't feel tired, or that I don't have a heavy heart when I think about the current status of America, is because I think a lot of us agree on which problems are a problem, its just that we disagree about who's made the best decisions so far about said problems - and which person should be in charge of making them in the future.
But I've come to the simplest realization! (Don't smack me, please.) It is as follows... that: a) we don't need to argue about who was right in making the decisions, or figure out which person must carry the blame for it, because we are simply saying it doesn't currently work in said conditions and b) that we are all in charge of making future decisions! Because, democracy! Hell yeah, America!
So yes, as I sit here with my coffee and formulate ways to save the lives of Black Americans, I am hopeful... and ready. Ready to start conversations with people in my community, thinking not of placing blame but of needing each other's input. Ready to find which causes I think need the most urgent change and finding like-minded individuals that I can grab hands with. Ready to take advantage of the fact that right now, we are all listening.
Let's do this.
P.S.
Upon reading this a second time, I realize that the whole thing is disgustingly cheery. And yes, I realize it is an oversimplification of a very complicated issue. You must forgive me, I'm a morning person.
P.S.S.
It turns out I'm still pretty pissed about racism.
P.S.S.S.
But my theme of coming together still stands.
