"This country is mine too. I paid as much for it as you. White means you're European still. And black means that I'm African. We both know, we've both been here too long... You can't go back to Ireland, or Poland, or England. And I can't go back to Africa. And we will live here together...or we'll die here together. And it's not I who am telling you. Time is telling you. You will listen or you will perish." – James Baldwin
Some point cooler heads have to prevail. Although there has been an uprising in on our nation, the majority has seem to put their foot down declare “enough is enough”. We cannot longer afford to go back to business as usual, as the eyes of many have been opened as a direct result of what’s been shown across media outlets worldwide. From Minnesota to Atlanta, from Atlanta to Louisville, from Louisville Los Angeles, from Los Angeles to various parts of the world, there has been a cry across international waters. A cry that demands justice, yearns for equality, and is pleading for peace.
It has been asked by many, “Where do we go from here?” I have always been the type of person that would search proactively for solutions as opposed dealing with, or reacting to problems after the fact. And so here we are as a nation reacting to what we’ve seen and needing to be proactive to keep these types of things from happening again. Now as I previously stated, for many of us this has nothing to do with race and everything to do with good versus evil. And the solution lies in our ability to ensure that we do all that we can that good overtakes evil, light overcomes darkness.
Ask few months I have had great dialogue. I believe that dialogue and meaningful, intentional conversation are prerequisites to healing and understanding. However, It’s imperative that these conversations are had with the intention of hearing and listening to one another. There is a powerful passage in the Bible (James 1) that says, “19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” I believe that it is evident by the scripture that being quick to listen and refusing to speak too soon can prevent anger from rising. This is key, because these conversations that we have to have nationwide will be uncomfortable, alarming, and uneasy.
Same passage from James 1 goes on to say, “20 Human anger[g] does not produce the righteousness[h] God desires.” This passage of scripture is a warning, and a powerful statement concerning how we are to conduct ourselves through conversation over the next several months. If we take notice over all the tragedy and violence that we have seen over the last several months, we can see human anger has left a trail of violence and destruction. However, if we are to heal and not repeat what we have seen, James 1:19-20 will have to remain at the forefront of our minds prior to entering any conversation with an expectation of healing and understanding.
The conversations will be painful, but they will prove to be necessary.