I saw a YouTube video today from a man—a black man—regarding the “situation” in Missouri following the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown. He made the video back in August, but I think it applies even more now, following the madness of the past two nights. Here’s the video, if you’d like to see it.
I think he’s got some really great points, and though his video is made with African-American people in mind, I think we can all (yes, white people, too) glean some wisdom from it. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean.
You say you want change? Then change!
Deuteronomy 2:3 is mentioned, and I don’t think I’d ever heard that applied to this kind of strife before. It’s perfect. It doesn’t allow for apportioning blame. It just speaks the truth.
Haven’t we gone ‘round this mountain long enough? Turn north!
If you want things to change, change yourself! You need to. I need to. I want to be able to raise my kids and know I’ve done all I can to show them that people should be judged by the “content of their character,” not pigment.
That goes “both,” actually “all” ways.
We are all very different in the way we feel things.
Different in the way we react to things.
Different in our opinions.
Different in our hopes and dreams for ourselves and our families.
But we are also all the same.
We can’t do it on our own. We are not made to be alone, or go through things alone. We were created to be in community with one another.
It isn’t impossible.
But we have to change to make it happen.
Haven’t we gone ‘round this mountain long enough?
Let’s turn North.
A Work in Progress 