a hell of a timeline we find ourselves in
I know I haven't posted about the state of the world here, and I'm not entirely sure why. I think part of me is still trying to internalize it, to understand, to work through it all in my head (and my heart). For now, I'll try to sum up my thoughts on the two big challenges we are facing as humans and as Americans right now: the pandemic and the racism protests.
The pandemic: I am boggled at the denial and selfishness (or if I'm being more charitable, self-focused attitudes) that I'm seeing. This thing is literally killing thousands of people a day, yet people won't do something as simple as wear a mask. In America, we are losing a THOUSAND PEOPLE A DAY, and that's not enough to get people to care, to take steps to protect their neighbors, to work together to save lives.
I don't understand.
The protests: Again, I am boggled at the denial, the people who try to argue that racism doesn't exist, that privilege isn't a thing, that everything is being blown out of proportion. There are entire groups of people who can't do something as basic as walk in the park, go to the store, sit on their porch without having to think about how they look or act or whether someone will take exception to them and put their lives in danger because they are different. In America, there are people being beaten, incarcerated, and killed because of the color of their skin, and that's not enough to get people to care.
I don't understand.
The lack of respect, the dearth of empathy, the inability to care about something if it isn't directly affecting them...that is something these situations, these people, have in common. The only way they begin to care if their circle gets caught up in what is happening, and while that is better than nothing, it tears me up that it takes being personally affected to get people to care about someone else.
I have seen this happen with strangers, I have seen this happen with friends. I refuse to make large generalizations, since this is in large part what everyone is fighting against..."us vs. them" is easy, seeing people as individuals, as humans, is hard. I know people that I would describe as good, caring, loving people, yet those people still get caught up in bubbles of hate and derision and seeing others as "less than".
I also know that I can't change anyone's minds, yet I still try. I will always try to err on the side of compassion, of empathy. I will always try to live by the guiding principle of wanting others to have what I have, the same rights, the same privileges, the same ability to walk and talk and live their lives. I will never understand how some people can base their lives on the opposite: wanting to take away from others, wanting rights for themselves but not for others, wanting privileges and access that they then refuse to others.
