No More Giving In to Hate
Rosa Parks is known for staying in her seat on a bus, refusing to leave it as a black woman sitting in the "white section" of a segregated bus. This happened in 1955, and Rosa Parks was 42 years old when she famously stayed in her seat.
What possessed her to act with such defiance? In the 1992 book Rosa Parks: My Story, she recalls, "People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically... No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in."
It's an absurd trend of our species that we construct systems, rules, p0licies, laws, and norms that cause groups of our fellow humans to reach the point of exhaustion from giving in or succumbing. Sadly, we keep repeating this practice of striving to knock down others based on arbitrary traits like where we live, who we love, how much we earn through our work, and of course our skin color. Out of an irrational fear and most often spurred by our own past trauma, we pass along violence as the nastiest of legacies.
Jesus had much to say about this, reminding us of an ancient call to stand in solidarity with those on the margins. He lived this Word as he stood with people most at risk, those made time and again to give in, and he defied this awful trend. He did this because he looked at the world uniquely as I believe God does, seeing that no person or group deserves to be subject to prejudice or trauma. I also believe he had a singular, keen sense of the inexhaustible nature of God's mercy. He knew there was more than enough love to go around, that we needn't strive to keep it from others so that we might have our fair share.
My hope for us all in this moment is that we may find ways to look at each other through a lens of grace and lovingkindness regardless of race or any other constructed trait. Too many of us are hurting from too many instances of giving in to the fear that makes us mean. We're well past the point of needing to stop hate.
My challenge for myself is to be less focused on clever posts, snarky remarks, and just general nastiness that is more likely to flow when I feel exhausted. Of course I commit to taking a stand when necessary to make clear my solidarity with friends who feel oppressed, threatened, or worse. I commit to practices that refill my tank of compassion, peace, mercy, and joy. I intend to seek ways to remind myself of the goodness of everything, the holiness in everyone, and the beauty in this mysterious life.
It's an absurd trend of our species that we construct systems, rules, p0licies, laws, and norms that cause groups of our fellow humans to reach the point of exhaustion from giving in or succumbing. Sadly, we keep repeating this practice of striving to knock down others based on arbitrary traits like where we live, who we love, how much we earn through our work, and of course our skin color. Out of an irrational fear and most often spurred by our own past trauma, we pass along violence as the nastiest of legacies.
Jesus had much to say about this, reminding us of an ancient call to stand in solidarity with those on the margins. He lived this Word as he stood with people most at risk, those made time and again to give in, and he defied this awful trend. He did this because he looked at the world uniquely as I believe God does, seeing that no person or group deserves to be subject to prejudice or trauma. I also believe he had a singular, keen sense of the inexhaustible nature of God's mercy. He knew there was more than enough love to go around, that we needn't strive to keep it from others so that we might have our fair share.
My hope for us all in this moment is that we may find ways to look at each other through a lens of grace and lovingkindness regardless of race or any other constructed trait. Too many of us are hurting from too many instances of giving in to the fear that makes us mean. We're well past the point of needing to stop hate.
My challenge for myself is to be less focused on clever posts, snarky remarks, and just general nastiness that is more likely to flow when I feel exhausted. Of course I commit to taking a stand when necessary to make clear my solidarity with friends who feel oppressed, threatened, or worse. I commit to practices that refill my tank of compassion, peace, mercy, and joy. I intend to seek ways to remind myself of the goodness of everything, the holiness in everyone, and the beauty in this mysterious life.
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