A number of years ago I thought I had figured out the solution to the race issue for myself. I would go along with the mantra, “I don’t see color.” I thought that would take care of it…but it doesn’t, it is at best a cop-out. It was my way of saying, your life must be just like mine simply because I say it is.
Turns out, it is not that simple. Life rarely is.
Recently, we have seen a lot of division in America. A lot of hate. A lot of anger. A lot of destruction. It is hard to see. It is hard to acknowledge. It is hard to understand. It is even harder to fix.
In response, I have heard a lot of people say, “this isn’t the America I love.” Thing is, that’s kind of like my thought above–I just won’t see color–it doesn’t work that way. Loving America is like being a parent.
Loving America is like being a parent. You have this child you love. Your child is cute and sweet and has so many positive attributes, but there are behaviors and attitudes that are not so lovely. As a good parent, you can’t just ignore the negative things your child does; you can’t just turn a blind eye and say, “well, that’s not the child I love.” No. As a loving parent, you will see the challenges, you will see the issues and work to help your child change, grow, and improve. You will help them become more than they are now. That is love.
It is the same with America.
I can’t see things in America I don’t like and ignore them. If I truly love my country and its people, I have to choose to face the struggles, face the darkness and work. I must work to make it better. I must work on the spiritual level. I must work on the cultural level. I must work on the societal level. If I am not willing to work on those levels, if I just want to turn my head away from what I don’t like, that is not love I am showing, it is laziness.
Is what you feel for America love or laziness? Do you love America, and the people around you enough to be part of the change, or do you only want to wish America were different? Will you work or wish?
Survive til you Thrive!
