I know not everyone will agree...thank goodness. We can't all agree on everything as this creates a status quo and is dangerous for our nation not to mention the hideous ramification of group think. You can look back on history past and not so past to understand the danger we are under when policy, choice, and the need for us to protect our children is not carried out. Yet as I listen to the words this Monday morning on Martin Luther King Day, put forth by the president of the United States, I can not help but be humbled. I can not help but think that, if there is a god, this is the direction he wants us to move. To understand that, like any good group counselor would say, we can only travel as far and as fast as our weakest member.
As a country, how can we move forward with the vast economic divide between the upper class and the lower class? How, can we not provide help and comfort for those who are effected by
natural disasters and the often hostile takeover of their mind and/or body? Many times
before we have found the means to provide aid and comfort. We are a united states. How can we move forward if we keep labeling those with mental health issues as "crazy" and "monsters?" We can look back on a history of this country when those who were physically ill were looked at as possessed by evil. Think on this. Think on the people you love and hold dear. How can we not find the humanity in our likeness? Before you speak of the "monsters," seek knowledge about the plight of so many guardians of children who are faced with mental illness and abuse. Understand that this is not a fight against "monsters" and "crazies" but a fight against a lesser known and often invisible evil. It is easy to speak to consequences as the cause. How often do we blame the victim of a greater challenge because we realize that, if we do not, a portion of responsibility is on our plate? I contend no one wants to be a monster. No child or adult chooses to be sick or outcasted. I am saddened by the thought we reject those who are lost be it by their own choice or that of society. I am saddened that we can not meet them where they are and simply say, "I am here with you." It seems sometimes there is an exception to "love they brother and sister." We prioritize, and that is ok, as long as we do not leave those who have lost hope.
I know people are afraid and that often, that fear is perpetuated. I sit with my students in that place of fear when we discuss privilege. I feel comfort (and privilege) that we have the privilege to take part in the dialog. I feel the tension when comments are made that place privilege in jeopardy. I feel the tension in my own heart when I think of loosing my place as a privileged white woman. I also feel the tug of history reminding me that there are many who have fought for me to say "privileged woman." The comfort we find in stereotypes and the ability to place an external locus of control on our actions and the actions we want our government to support is dangerous. Our ability to state a position based on our beliefs and our faith then not defend our post when times get tough and there is opposition is troubling. It is also important for us to humbly look at where our beliefs are grounded and assure, from time to time, that it is sound and that we are not stiffening growth and love by traditions and fear. I am often confused by statements of morality that are supported by a stance of exclusion and rigidity for perfection. I find hypocrisy in statements that disregard human dignity.
As the president discussed the need for us to come together I am reminded that I am a (as are you) social change agent. The words of Margret Mead challenge me to understand that a single person can create change. That I am not perfect, yet many believe that I, like every person on this earth, is created in gods image, period. There is not a caveat in that statement that says those who are different are not included. We build temples yet we do not protect our most vulnerable human citizens.
As I grow older and realize that with each encounter my personhood is changed by the interaction that I construct with those around me I am encourage. I am thankful to have a president who seems to speak to what I believe in, and realizes that both compromise and conviction are important. A half-step forward is better than a half-step back. A half-step forward is better than a half-step back. A half-step forward is better than a half-step back. I sometimes have to remind myself of this when I get frustrated. I am reminded that civil rights is a human issue. It is not
afforded to one group, one class, one gender, one ethnicity, one race,
one ability level, one political party, one person over the other. While I am not naive to the hypocrisy that is often politics, today I am reminded of the importance of togetherness.
