Written by Ray Baker
I’m having a hard time fully supporting this whole movement that started in the case of George Floyd's life being taken (may he rest in peace and may his family receive the justice they deserve.) Not because I’m racist, not because I’m apathetic and not because I have my head in the sand. Is it ok to be on both sides? There are good things and bad things coming out of this movement.
I have a hard time supporting a movement that is supposedly a protest against racism & police brutality, that has seemingly created more hate and brutality in so many ways. I get that there is a goal to put a stop to a huge issue that has been going on for far too long. Racial division, financial division, political division, religious division amongst the people. With this movement we’ve actually started noticing that there really is an issue, this is good.
We’ve also seen innocent people suffer, for simply trying to protect their livelihood. There are several videos of these angry mobs destroying everything in sight, people looting stores, destroying homeless people’s little amount of belongings they have. Business owners beat down, for simply trying to protect their lifeline.
Why can’t people stop and think for a minute, violence and acting out is creating more division! This movement is proving how much control the population actually needs.
People are going crazy, stealing things, smashing things because they’re frustrated. Been watching too many movies and now it’s like they’re in one so nothing really matters.
2020 has been no walk in the park, now it’s turned into a fight about skin color?
People are acting like they just discovered that racism actually exists. Why now do people decide to start an angry mob in every city across North America?
Have you ever driven through a rough area of town and locked your doors? Or passed by people, who are living on the street and thought wow I’m glad I’m not them? Maybe you’ve made jokes about these same people. Maybe you’ve even subconsciously, or consciously, placed yourself above these people. I know I’m guilty and I’ll admit it. Maybe, just maybe, that attitude is the problem with us.
The division that’s been embedded into our society is the exact reason these toxic mentalities/ideologies exist. Maybe next time you see someone who is living a life less fortunate than you, you should stop and tell them that they matter. No matter what color their skin is, because skin color does not define a person, no matter what the rest of the world tells you. Our personalities define us, our hearts, our soul defines us!
Maybe the issue is that we’ve been led to believe that we are more important than someone else because we read some books and passed a test. Maybe it’s because we’ve been made to feel like a number in a bank account gives us a higher status than someone with no bank account. Maybe some of us have been made to think that our skin color gives us an advantage or disadvantage. Unfortunately, in some places, maybe it does. Maybe all the materialistic things of the world don’t really matter. Maybe the only thing that truly matters is showing love to each other. I think that if everybody just took a step back and realized how much that matters, the world would look a lot different.
What actually matters is that we truly love and care for one another. That we help others in need instead of just complaining or mocking them. I think that if we actually knew how to love one another, like God commands us to, things would be a lot less complicated right now. Don't be afraid to show someone how much they matter. Someone's life can be changed by one simple act of kindness, you could be that change. Our generation can be that change!
“If you’re white and you’re wrong, then you’re wrong; if you’re black and you’re wrong, you’re wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green – God make no rules about color; only society make rules where my people suffer, and that why we must have redemption and redemption now.”
- Bob Marley