Saturday, July 09, 2016

Fine.

Most times, if someone asks you how you are, you reply:  Fine.
Sometimes, you may reply:  Okay.

I'm neither.

Usually I answer truthfully and tell the person inquiring that I'm tired, cranky, or maintaining. Because why lie?
The question may be perfunctory, but my answer never is.

With all the events of this last week, I'm ANYTHING but fine.

More black men murdered.  White men assassinated.
For the love of GOD.

We've sunk into this abyss of killing those different from ourselves.

I'm a fortysomething white chick.
And I'm scared shitless when a cop pulls me over.
To be honest, it's rarely happened.  My first ticket was last December.  But I've received a couple of warnings previously.
STILL scared the shit out of me.
I'm defenseless.  I'm at the mercy of someone with complete power over me.  I feel that he/she could shoot me, and I could not prevent any of it.
I cannot IMAGINE the fear from the African American community.  Don't breathe wrong.  Don't twitch.  Jesus Christ.
Alton Sterling was murdered.
Philando Castile was murdered.
These events were recorded for the entire world to see.
Their lives were brutally taken by men in blue.

Then Dallas.
And five more good men were shot because of the color of THEIR skin.
Assassinated because they were white men in blue.

My heart hurts.  My soul feels bruised and lacerated.

Killing each other is NOT the answer.  It is NEVER the goddamn answer.
Education.  Caring.  Coming together as one people instead of this divisive bullshit because of the pigmentation of our skin.
No good will come from staying silent.  We must raise our voices as a nation and say ENOUGH.  Our love for each other MUST surpass our ambivalence of another's pain.
Care for your neighbor.  Be their keeper.  Love them as you would love yourself.
Then, and only then, will the brutal killing of our brothers and sisters stop.
*******