It seems in the last couple of weeks, there has been a change of tone from “don’t do this bad thing” to “If you don’t do the right thing, that is the wrong thing.”
I’ve seen many people quoting the first part of this quote by Desmond Tutu: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
With all that is happening in America right now, if you remain silent, you are not staying out of the fight, you are opposing the side of the justice. There are times when staying out of a fight can truly be neutral. When it’s a fight that both people have brought on themselves and they are equally fighting and wanting to be there. In those cases, it doesn’t make sense to join a side…or does it?
What if one of those people won, you would lose your job? Or your family? Do you then root for the opponent? It’s interesting how these situations change when you have something personally invested in the fight.
I have had so many thoughts circling through my head as all of this discussion around race and justice goes on. It has been extremely hard for me to write down my thoughts on the matter, and I won’t be able to in this short blog post, but my feelings swing from being radically and emotionally moved by the hurt that is being felt by not only one race of people, but of many. Of many people who don’t look the same as me and feel as though they are not heard. People who have been screaming for years to no avail.
There is another side of me that, when I’m honest, I have to realize doesn’t care.
It pains me to even put this in writing as I hate the idea that I don’t care for someone’s — anyone’s death. All human life is important and made by God, and yet it’s so easy for me, when I’m not personally affected by a situation, to remove myself and my emotions from it.
Am I happy about someone dying? Generally, no. Am I at times enraged by death? Absolutely? But when does it turn from an emotion of hurt or anger into action? When is something that happens to someone that I don’t know affect me to the point of leaving the comfortable life that I live to support a cause that I believe is right?
As I see so many posts quoting Desmond Tutu, I feel a pressure to follow in suit. To let the people in my direct circle know that I do not want to be silent either. That I want to be, not a voice, but an ear to those who are crying out.
One of the things that holds me back is a fear of knowing what to post. What can I post or put out there that will make an actual difference? I am disgusted by even the thought of racism, but how do I turn this into an actionable item, and furthermore, an actionable item that I know is the best thing for the situation.
Much of this situation and the quote that I continue to see reminds me of another wise author who wrote something similar. His name is God. Writing scripture through the hands of James:
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James 4:17
What is the right thing for you to do? How can you help understand and be there for those who are not justly treated? How can you open yourself up to learn and grow from people who have a different perspective and outlook on life than you?
I continue to talk and have conversations with not only my black friends but also my Asian roommates who have felt this pain, though maybe in different ways.
The conclusion that I’ve come to after many of these conversations is that it’s time to wake up and realize that YOUR PERCEPTION OF LIFE IS NOT THE SAME FOR EVERYONE.
When we can understand this core idea, then we can begin to have actual conversations where both sides are listening, not only to the words, but the feelings behind what drive the words that others are saying.