Plz forgive me – the path to rebuilding our community!

I have often chosen to pretend as if the ills of society are always someone else’s problem and have little to do with me. I’m not to blame for the hideous murders that have taken place over the last week. Whether it was the disgruntled former employee of a T.V. station that murders a news reporter and her cameraman while videoing it or the ongoing tragic saga of a few policemen murdering what would appear to be unarmed people, mostly Black.  So why should I seek the forgiveness of the Black Community, the LGBTQ Community, Native American Community or the newer nicer Atheist Community?

I know that there is power in forgiveness but not that it changes the past but it gives the possibility for change and a better life in the future. One of the difficulties in my life and yours is that we only focus on what is directly in front of our faces. So if I didn’t cause a car accident why should I be bothered about it? What did I have to do with the recent drowning of twins by a mentally unstable mom? The difficulty is that I have a lot to do with what happens because I choose not to stand up, be an advocate or stop turning a blind eye to the abuse of power in local, state and national political arenas.

The reality is that discrimination happens because I choose not to speak out, seek justice for those that have been hurt and seek to be part of the process of restoration and rebuilding of communities, individuals and families. I might not use the N word, the Q word or say WTF at all but my thoughts and actions betray me. I have become someone whose choice is to be on the sidelines of life and be more a part of the problem than the solution to our societal woes.

I recently finished a book that gave an incredible example of how racism had caused a city to not have as many bus stops in a certain area that caused people to have to walk through a bad area of town. This became a tragedy when a young teen was raped and murdered. The city fathers were shocked when someone accused them of being responsible for this tragedy. This complaint fell on deaf ears.

I just listened to a news report on the radio that mentioned a Highway Patrolmen who had pulled someone over for speeding. The individual proceeded to beat up the officer and take his gun. Many cars passed by before a Direct T.V. technician pulled over and asked permission to help the Patrolman. The end result was that the bad guy was arrested and the Patrolman didn’t suffer any injury. Otherwise the person that had been pulled over and had taken the gun could have murdered the Patrolman.

Yes, it’s my fault when I’m in a rush and purposely ignore the mom with little kids in a broken down vehicle. I make the erroneous assumption that her husband is on his way. What has to happen in our society for more of us to see our inactivity as a problem? I know that it isn’t easy to have eyes and ears in the community but I’m sure that someone did notice this unstable mom with twins having issues but was fearful of getting involved. The horrible tragedy is that I make the felonious assumption that someone else will step up and stop the violence or injustice.

So I understand that saying you’re sorry or even asking for forgiveness doesn’t bring back the reporter and cameraman that were murdered. What will make a difference in society is when I stop making excuses and admit that I’m part of the larger problem of ongoing apathy in our society that has allowed racism to continue and the elitism of the haves over the have nots.

Please forgive me for standing around watching instead of doing something positive to help!