Good morning to you. I hope that you are healthy and safe at this very moment; there are many people in our nation right now who are not.
Rough way to start a post with the “Inspirational” tag? Maybe. But sometimes we have to dig in and do the work. One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. So let’s find one in all of this. Here’s the quote:
“Black lives matter.”
— America, eventually
Here’s the thing about this quote: it should not be controversial to say this. The mere fact that this absolutely true statement sets off anger and backlash and counter-protests tells you all you need to know about just how messed up some people’s perspective has gotten, and just how difficult it must be to be black in America still today (and how even more difficult it has been at times in our history!).
Try this. Substitute some other words in there. Children’s lives matter. Canadian lives matter. Floridian lives matter. My family’s lives matter. Are any of those controversial? Is there a subset of our population out there ready to shout something hostile in response to these?
No. Why then should it be controversial to say “black lives matter?” Why should anyone respond with, “now hold on, let me mention some other people that are important to my way of thinking” immediately?
Imagine again if I were to say “children’s lives matter.” You nod enthusiastically and say “yes.” If a person standing nearby said, “now hold on, children are often filthy and disobedient and challenging and disrespectful; let’s also remember that parents’ lives matter,” what would you think? Are they right? Should we yell back at those making the simple plain statement that children’s lives matter?
I talked a little bit last week about ignorance and knowledge and the marketplace of ideas, and how sometimes it is difficult for the best ones to get filtered through the noise to the top in today’s cacophony of takes and opinions. This is another great example. “Black lives matter” does not need a take, or a response, or a talking head to interpret it, or a counter-movement. It is a fundamentally correct concept that we all should agree to reflexively, without having to examine it. Unnecessary death of innocent people should sadden us all, regardless of the race of the victim, or the biases and leanings and experiences of the observer.
The next time you hear that phrase, just let it wash over you for a second. Think about the fact that even though this country was founded 200+ years ago based on the idea “that all men are created equal,” there is a segment of our population today that had to create that phrase as a mantra to remind others that killing them is not acceptable. No one ever had to say “Michigan lives matter” or “truck drivers’ lives matter” or “tall people’s lives matter.” Those are all taken for granted. Our goal should be to get to a place where “black lives matter” is taken for granted too.
Have a great week everybody.