DocAndersen
The events in the US over the last two weeks have awakened a lot of feelings, emotions, and pain. I know that I have believed that I was raised that all people are equal. I understand to a small degree, what it means to be among the few. I lived in Thailand, and for the most part, was often one of five or fewer people in a crowd of 100 with lighter skin. I do not equate that to understanding the pain. I am merely saying that I know where anxiety and fear starts. I have no idea how it feels overall. I do know that I have a straightforward set of rules that I operate by as a person. It is a set of rules that I carefully follow on the internet, in the real world, and work situations.
The credo involves the things that I was taught and believe. I have friends all over the world. I don’t rank them or evaluate them based on where they are from. I don’t pick them or judge them based on their religion. Some of my dearest friends have vastly different religious beliefs than I do, but we accept the difference, and we accept each other. But I also don’t care about the color of your skin or your orientation. None of those things fit into how I evaluate people. I avoid people that are nasty or mean for no reason. But I also forgive transgressions. The first transgression is forgiven with merely, and I’m sorry. Based on that, the slate is wiped clean.
If it happens again, then I will distance myself from that person. That has to do with the fact that I learned a long time ago, Leopards don’t change their spots. I have learned that if someone does something mean or rude twice, they are more likely to stack three or four on top if I let them. So I create distance with that person and keep them away.
All of this comes to a simple end. I am far from perfect; as a person, I have much to learn and much growth yet to achieve. I believe in taking care of people when I can. I believe in doing the right things. But most importantly, I care about the person. I don’t care about the wrapping. My grandfather always used to say when you got candy with a different, managed, or odd wrapper, “you don’t eat the wrapper, do you.” I don’t judge people by their wrappers; I accept them for who they want to be.
This work is Copyright DocAndersen. Any resemblance to people real or fictional in this piece is accidental (unless explicitly mentioned by name.)
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Question of
All lives matter, right?
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Question of
will you try sitting quietly for 8 minutes today?
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Question of
My apologies for the political post, ok?
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Question of
It is ok to be who you are, ok?
Life is much too short for what is happening these days. We all matter.
we do all matter you are right, it is important!
I would just hope my child does not have kids because if anyone treated my grandchild like I have been treated because I am black I would end up in handcuffs. It’s nice to read your post but we all know this world is not created equal so I am just glad you are well.
i thank you and I agree with you. But change has to start somewhere. The time of oppression has to end.
To answer this from God down, might go something like this.
God created man, and mankind then dispersed all over the world.
Any differences are self-made from the starting point, and we can relate to each person if we realise that each has had a different starting point in their lives too.
Whether we want to stay on their track, or on our own track, is up to us, of course, but if we go onto their track, we need to give them the right of way, as we are a visitor there, not a director of them in any way.
Tolerance, understanding, compassion of another person’s life, and life track, are sorely needed, all over the World.
this is true, we have to accept all period. i find the situation difficult to accept and process.
I’ve been reading about what’s happening there. Why the situation escalated into something like that. Another writer here has been posting about it also in FB, it’s happening near their neighborhood. It must be scary for him.
There was a peaceful rally that happened about 500 yards from my house. the time of oppression is dying finally. But it is still alive. we have to finish the job. Oppression because of any factor has to be ended.
It’s so sad how much violence and hatred there’s in the world.
Many years ago when I was first teaching we participated in Hands Across America. We were filled with hope and promise. It is now more than 30 years later and we still are fighting the same issue.
There are certain traits which are found in America. Pretending they don’t exist is the root of the current unrest.
That the police in Minneapolis could kneel on the neck of a human being who never did anything to him and his colleagues stand and watch, probably to see how long it would take to kill him is not uncommon in the United States.
It is very sad, it is not common. It has happened too often but with things like that one, two or three is too often.
that type of cruelty happens all over the world in fairness. It is bad in the US, and I am making no apologies we need to get better.
We have a lot of police murdering people… They shoot them.
What causes the shock in the George Floyd case is not that the police chased and shot an unarmed man but that one kneekled on his throat.does anyone do that?
It is like you work in a slaughter house and break chicken necks for a living.
What I think is that everyone who applies to be a police, whether in your country or mine needs an intensive psych evaluation.
i completely agree with you. But the problem isn’t only the police. I wish we could throw all the issues into a bag and say it is the police.
I remember a song many years ago by Bruce Hornsby and the range. The song talked about the only thing employer noticed was what box was selected on the color line.
I have friends in the LGBTQ community. They are killed, harassed, and oppressed.
I have African American friends who have suffered injustice their entire lives.
i have a friend that is an atheist and has lost a job because of that.
What should happen? the rise of change!
12 Black people were killed by Black cops, one murdered on his own property in front of his children while having a family barbeque, in the last couple of weeks in South-Africa but our government never said a word, one Black person is killed by a white policeman in America and our President calls for a national state of mourning in solidarity. How hypocritical is that? This is happening just too blatantly this time around, and we are called racist, ALL LIVES MATTER!
Andre, that is well put. The time of discrimination, the time of oppression by any form of government has to end.
freedom should be the gift all people have.
I agree with you. There is too much intolerance around the world these days. People should by no means be judged by skin color or religion. As I wrote in one of my posts, the interior is important.
i remember that post – yes what we do is as important as what we say. Our measure as people is converting the say into do!
I often wonder why there is so much hatred and misunderstanding in the world.
i really do not know, i wish I had a good answer for you.
No problem. I guess no one knows the right answer to that question.
a wise man once said this
“i am different.”
all stopped and looked.
“I am different,” the man said again
People moved away.
they could no longer hear the words.
But the man still said, “I am different.”
eventually, people stopped listening. They were wound around their lives.
The man died sadly.
on his tombstone was written “now I am the same.”
Thank you for those very real words. I agree.
Years ago, I met some chaps from South Africa (during Apartheid) and they told me that one always has to be conscious of the colour of their skin; Where are you? What colour are the people around you?
America is very much like that. You have to be conscious at all times. Who you talk to, who you ask for directions, they have to look like you and be of the same class.
You bring up an excellent point, the reality of what class are you impacts communication on every level. That is far more than a US problem, that is why what is happening now is so important because it cuts across caste, class and everything else.
great point thank you for adding it!
I warned a friend who was going up to NYC that if he had to ask for directions …
he forgot and went to approach people who virtually ran from him… and then he recalled what I had said and waited for someone of his race and class and got this directions.
i used to travel the world, i have asked directions of virtually everyone. But i do understand that problem.
It is one that faces every nation today. It is really bad.
There are certain traits which are found in America. Pretending they don’t exist is the root of the current unrest.
That the police in Minneapolis could kneel on the neck of a human being who never did anything to him and his colleagues stand and watch, probably to see how long it would take to kill him is not uncommon in the United States.
my response is above in the other comment.
I don’t know how this doubled up…
there is a strange comment glitch that does that every once in a while.