Here in the United States, there is
trouble and division. Politically, racially, and in other ways. We
are four months into a pandemic. There has been fear, tension,
worries, confusion, and lack of direction or leadership. I have been
guilty of watching and laughing at the "Karen" videos,
showing irate women screaming about slight injustices in public
places. Karens used to be middle-aged white women who made petty
complaints in a loud, rude way to management. It has now devolved to
mean racist or anti-mask people having a fit.
I took a step
back from those videos and tried to figure out what is behind their
rage? Why are they so unraveled? Driven by fear of losing liberty,
just like the ongoing fear of losing gun rights, these people act out
defiant and full of fury. Part of it is the media's fault, and I
include both sides on this. They have stirred up fear, anger,
division. I have angrily lashed out at racists and those who differ
in my political beliefs, including the president. The current
president has done nothing to calm or unite people. Many of his posts
on Twitter and his speeches are hate-filled, angry, anti-immigrant
rants. I am not perfect and can't guarantee I won't ever resort to
such negative responses again.
I tried to look
at all of this from a Christian perspective. We are supposed to love
our neighbor, but how can I even like a white supremacist? Racists
are afraid of blacks, of immigrants, of anyone who doesn't look like
them. Their minds have been poisoned, perhaps from their parents or
other adults they admired, and from radical conspiracy theories. We
can't underestimate the media's role in this. But that poison has
seeped into their brains, blocking all rational thought, turning themselves into a cult. How can we
get racists to see the light? To understand we are all one in God's
eyes? How can I become a better person too?
I had a daydream
where I encounter one of them in a store yelling about masks or
saying something about blacks. How do I speak up and get them to see
that their way of thinking is wrong? How can I unite people? I am
praying every day that we become united again. We are supposed to be
the United States. We all need to pray for our country and the world.
We've gotten so far away from practicing our faith. Those who don't
believe in God can still understand and support the basic principle
of decency in being kind to one another, being peaceful and united,
and caring enough to wear masks during a pandemic and practice social
distancing. Can white supremacists be changed? I will pray to God to
help me be an instrument for this change, if possible. I want a
peaceful country and world, a place where there is no hatred, no
division, and more unity. How do we achieve that?
Maybe my idea is
too utopian. Perhaps it isn't possible to change people and have them
see the similarities between us, the fact that we all have the same
primary goals in life. But it wouldn't hurt to try. Gandhi said, be
the change you want to see in the world. I want us to care more for
one another, be kinder to one another, and soothe the disharmony that
has infested our country and the world.
I urge you no
matter what religion you are, even if you don't follow any religion,
to be a catalyst for positive change in your neighborhood. Practice
kindness. When you see someone in a rage or angry, try to be a
calming influence. Listen to them and, if possible, help them
understand your goal of uniting people. Ask them to practice kindness
and to be at peace with others and the world. Maybe our small drops
of influence can help bring about change and a better place to live.
I can only hope.
