Sunday Story…What now?

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Sunday Story…What now?

Is there another shoe to drop? What else could possibly go wrong? We’ve had a pandemic, a shelter in place order, people have been quarantined, now we have a curfew, rioting and looting, and what appears to be a country under siege.

Is there another shoe left? I sure hope not. I feel tired, exhausted with all the upheaval and change going on. I like routine. I like it when things move along in a planned and orderly fashion.

We seem to have made it out of the pandemic. We took 6 or 8 weeks off and continue to have a consciousness about wiping things down, avoiding close contact, and wearing a mask upon request. But it isn’t over, not really. People are still getting sick.

The other problem, though? Not quite as easy to solve. I can’t shelter in place and expect the problems of race, implicit bias, and systemic oppression to go away if I hide in my bunker for a few months. In essence that’s what we have been doing for a long, long time. It hasn’t worked.

We are going to have to show up and do something. We are going to need to call out these problems when we see them. We need to stop “othering” our fellow humans. That person is a human…a human who wants to raise their children in a world that is fair and just…a human who wants a measure of respect and dignity…a human who shares many of the same goals and aspirations with you and I. They aren’t the “Other.” I shouldn’t hate people just because they are different than you or I. It really doesn’t matter what the difference is…sex, race, sexual orientation, religion, homeless, or pick something else to hate about a group.

They are all human just like you and I. And that humanity is what binds us together. Whether we like “those people” or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is their human-ness. What is relevant is seeing in each and every person the light behind their eyes, the hopes, dreams, and aspirations they carry for themselves and their children. No one should feel the need to teach their children how they are different and what to do when faced with being “othered”.

The question What now? Isn’t one of irritation or annoyance, rather it is a question that asks, “What are you going to do now?”

“Be the Change”

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-3382-412