Some white folks wonder, how are we, as a society, still dealing with all the ‘isms’. Why wasn’t racism resolved with the civil war, with the civil rights movement? ‘They’, those white supremacists, are so very wrong and I, ‘the other’, am so very right. Why can’t they see what I see? The reaction is usually disgust, fear and a righteousness when confronted with the ugliness that has been crawling out from under gnarly rocks for the past year or more. How is this happening? A better question is – why did I think racism (or sexism or any-ism) was essentially gone?

I’ve heard, or overheard, these statements in the last few months from white people.

• “I know it’s prejudice but, those Asians are always demanding more than is reasonable.”
• On the street I heard one older white guy call a woman he clearly didn’t care for a lazy n*****.
• “Hasidic jews are terrible people. They control parts of New York and are truly awful. It’s not prejudice to say so, it’s just the truth.”
• I heard screamed at a friend of mine. “Get your Jewish ass out of my country.”

The people I know who made those statements are completely deluded to their own racism and consider themselves liberals. Can you be surprised now? The racism bar is pretty low and easily crossed.

Yes, I know, many whites acknowledge there are still problems for people of color with police brutality, lack of quality employment, unfair imprisonment, lack of educational opportunities and wage inequality, but ‘we’ were working on that, right? Well, someone was working on it, yes?

Yes and no. Minorities, with some support, were attempting to make headway but the continuing rumble of white power kept progress at bay. Sticky problems stayed stuck. The issues for people of color listed above became worse, nothing was moving forward, but then, someone attempted to make a positive change and took down a statue, and then, someone took a knee and the barely contained racism gushed to the forefront clamoring in a cloak of alleged patriotism. Many whites were shocked.

The Long Arc of Social Justice

We’ve come a long way from lynchings by angry mobs, but those angry mobs have moved from the tree to the enraged online comment threads, a new freedom to spew hatred with their twisted righteousness. We no longer legally kill 300 blacks in 24 hours and destroy black towns, such as Greenwood, OK, based on a single accusation, (google Black Wall Street massacre) but we do arrest, kill and imprison blacks at an alarming rate. We are less blatantly violent but more sneaky in our superiority complex. At the very least we are guilty of our willingness to let someone else take care of the problem.

Many people I know who are racist don’t believe they are and appear to me to be deceived by a story they have told themselves for a long, long time, a story passed down from generation to generation, one where they are not racist but, for instance, are a harder worker than the average black guy. Use of racist terms is just ‘colorful language’ and ‘doesn’t really mean anything anymore’. It’s ‘I’m not the problem, so don’t bother me about it.’

If these groups hear a fact that does not match their beliefs, they go to great lengths to discredit the fact. For example, when confronted with statistics about blacks dying more often at the hands of the police than whites, they talk about how blacks kill more blacks which has nothing to do with the original assertion and is a different aspect of our racist society, but they can’t see the context. Or they talk about how police kill more whites than blacks – but only if you leave out the proportion of whites to blacks in our society. It’s hard work to keep yourself in the dark, yet many people do it all the time.

There are many people I know who will not discuss politics at all. People who do not want to feel the pain, the confusion of America today. The people who don’t vote or are not involved in a meaningful way are closer to 50% of the population.  We must reach the disconnected American. This is how change will happen.

Desperate to Avoid Seeing Your Little-Old-Self as the Problem

There are very few of us who will read this post and decide to do something. We are willing to accept our part in our current culture but many are not. Many will avoid the topic, the anxiety may be too high, or the shame too deep or the fear too overwhelming. We can remind our fellow white folks, it’s okay, breathe, admit you are part of the problem. Only by acknowledging our weaknesses can we find our strengths. The world will not come to an end, you will not die of shame or embarrassment. Believe me, there are millions of people who are in the same boat. We can admit our faults together and make real change in all of our futures.

Many whites don’t like being identified as a racist. They don’t see themselves that way because racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism toward someone of a different race because of the belief that my race is superior. That definition is not true for many whites. But today, racism needs a larger definition, it must include the obliviousness to the privileged system and the blinders put on to the struggles of people of color because it’s not right in your neighborhood (btw, chances are that’s not true) and your benefits from white privilege mean you don’t have to look around to see the pain others live.

The people that can make a meaningful impact are moving along in their own little worlds knowing they are not racist because they know black people, don’t see them as inferior and have no problem with them. They do not see the racism in their daily lives and assume it is happening elsewhere and someone else is taking care of the problems. Unfortunately this assumption keeps a blind eye to the hatred and fear that still exists from centuries of cruelty, enslavement and perceived superiority over all people of color from a larger portion of the population than we like to admit.

Of Course – Raging Racism and Hatred Still Exist

No need to be surprised. The atrocities and cruelty of our past were not that long ago. Those violent tendencies are buried deep in the unconsciousness of our society and continue aggressively into every day life. To many racist deniers, it seems normal to make fun of those that are different, maintain stereotypes, to laugh at a protestor being run over and killed by a white supremacist while the majority of us are horrified. It seems appropriate to swear at and degrade a grandmother in her Facebook feed if you disagree with her stance on gun control because we forget who we are talking to online or we don’t care, again, a disturbing reality. Fear is a powerful force when left to run amok. It has always been this way.

I admit, it’s hard for me to speak up when I hear these racist remarks. I don’t want to start a conflict with a neighbor or family member. I want the holidays and my walks around the block to be friendly. I take a deep breath, and remember, my discomfort is minimal in comparison to those who have fought this fight in the past. Key components will be to talk clearly without judgment. I was blind, I know my friends and family don’t mean to be blind, now I see, I want them to see too. It’s tough but easier than walking from Selma where your very life was in danger.

Taking a knee at a football game feels much more like a walk from Selma. I don’t know who in a stadium of thousands and thousands might be angry and violent enough to cause bodily harm. This is a much riskier stand. This would require a group of people willing to put their physical and psychological health on the line. We’ll know we are really making progress when white folks put themselves at risk in this manner.

Time to Smarten Up

What to do? There are simple steps that require courage. White people, the people with power and privilege, need to take the blinders off, look around and be of help. Four steps will get us there.

1. Talk to someone, anyone. Take a hand.   Pause.   Breath.   Ask questions.  Remember, it’s non-judgmental, open hearted, curious discussion.
2. We need to keep our focus on the signs of oppression that we have been ignoring. Fear is calmed by a steady, compassionate gaze. Listen to the stories on both sides of the equation, both have sagas of long held, deeply trusted viewpoints.
3. Make sure you understand the story. Misconceptions are best met with questions – how do you get to your viewpoint? Express your assumptions and check them out.
4. The world is made better with a collective, deep breath and a hopeful outlook. Discuss the possibility there are other ways to be on the planet. Possibilities where we don’t have to hold stereotypes – lazy blacks, scamming jews, difficult asians. What are the solutions?

The folks with the most power and privilege are middle class and upper class white people. Fact. What is the best way to continue to deal with racism and oppression? White folks have to take the blinders off, look around and speak up. Most of all, white people must listen. Listen, learn – what has been missed? Then, with guidance from people of color, white people must stand, or kneel, for justice with their voices, their actions and their dollars.

Maybe a whole NFL stadium needs to take a knee. How powerful would that be if a whole stadium knelt in honor of our great country and its brokenness?

What an act of love. What a way to move the long arc of justice forward.

America has one problem. That sounds crazy, I know, but when you really get this one problem, you see how it bleeds into and controls everything. This one problem is – Ethics. Ethical tenets are the moral lens through which we make decisions about how to act and interact. We are completely lost in this country because we bought into a false story early in the 20th century. We moved from connected neighborhoods and towns that understood morals, values, family and community to disconnected, distracted individuals, traumatized and focused on the one thing believed to bring happiness –  Money. We threw out the ethics to find security only to discover we gave away the very thing we were looking for.

This is a cycle that can be seen throughout human history. One where power and greed combine to bring down one great nation after another. It’s happening again. Before your very eyes. Can you see it? It starts slowly and because we are a trusting lot, we assume people have our best interest at heart, we are like the frog in a pot on low heat, and America is about to get to the boiling point.

Those left who trust the current congress and administration are truly deluded into the powerful-and-rich-have-my-back story, fiercely defending the unethical actions as it’s just how it has to be. The powerful, rich people in charge of congress today often say one thing but do another. The ideas of collaboration, discussion and decision making based in deeply held values, so important to most Americans, seems to be a way of the long ago past. Americans want a system that takes our values into account, and on many of these values, the vast majority of Americans agree. Take these examples –

• The financial district is set up to keep businesses safe. The rules and regulations protect corporations from being responsible for their risky behavior. Americans want the average person and the mom and pop stores to survive.
• Companies going bankrupt pay suppliers first and retirement funds last. Americans want retirees protected.
• Drug companies are not responsible for side effects that may permanently damage your quality of life. Americans want to know risks and be assisted when the worst happens.
• Drug companies are allowed to push products such as opioids without regulation or supervision. Americans want the government to hold businesses to the medical ethic of first, do no harm.
• Major corporations, such as oil companies with huge profits, garner government subsidies and tax breaks. Americans want corporations to pay their fair share.
• The wealthiest of Americans are provided tax loop holes so they don’t pay taxes. Again, Americans just want a fair system.
• Sole proprietor businesses are the cheapest to start but are also the easiest to sue with the least amount of protections.  Rather, the people in our government should encourage the safer LLC or even safer SCorp by making them the least expensive to start.
• Tobacco companies are not required to stop selling their product or pay for the healthcare to repair the damage clearly connected by study after study on effected consumers. Americans do not want to pay the bill for a product that we know is lethal.
• Global warming is downplayed in order to maintain profits over the health of our environment. Americans want clean water, air and land.
• The people in our government today are jamming through their agenda without bipartisanship. Americans want politicians to work together.
• Quality education, healthcare and jobs are hit and miss for the majority of Americans while the wealthy continue to pass the best of each within their tight knit group. Americans believe in an excellent public education, good paying jobs and quality healthcare.
• Food quality is hidden, standards are loosened, and companies prepare food based on profits rather than health. Americans want healthy food.
• The NRA, as main marketing firm for the gun manufacturers, creates fear and spreads misinformation in order to maintain record profits at the expense of American lives every day. The majority of Americans are clear on gun safety priorities for our society such as longer waiting periods and better systems for background checks when purchasing a gun as well as no guns for domestic violence cases or felons. These safety measures are ignored by a congress that does not need to be responsive to the American people.
• The government has also banned studies on gun use and death by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Americans want solutions based in science.
• The people in the government create confusion regarding the role of the press in the democratic process claiming reliable news sources as fake news. Americans want robust and accurate news sources.
• The government is unbalanced with inexperienced, financial sector or racist members in the highest of offices. Americans want to be world leaders, showing the way using the best of democratic principles.

Ethics being the principles that govern a persons behavior based on values we hold dear in this country, would be the antidote to all of the above. Justice, freedom, generosity and integrity are just some of the avenues to holding an attitude of benefitting not only oneself but also society as a whole.

I know it seems impossible to affect a change but I know the secret to accomplishing this goal. Ready? It’s really very simple. We must come together and demand it. Simple but hard since you are going to need to give up your unwillingness to see any other point of view. However easy it is for you to do that, is how easy it will be to make this change.

You are in charge of the transformation of yourself and therefore the country when you drop your righteousness and listen. Every day Americans have so much more in common than we have been lead to believe. Search your heart. Your love and compassion knows no bounds. Allow that love to overcome your need to have it your way alone and see what happens.

This is how we save America.

“Love of life itself for the world around you can get you to let go of fear, as a loving act. You let go for the sake of all beings.” Adyashanti

When the world is overwhelming, and yes, it is so overwhelming, slow down and look around. There are people you love, animals you love, trees bursting with greenery, flowers promising the blossoming of life. The sun is bestowing it’s warmth, a soft breeze reminds you of a kindness in the air. Water shines the reflection of that warmth and love. Even as you drive through awful traffic, music accompanies you. Allowing a car in front of you, warms you with your own generosity.

Even as you deal with work, with difficult people, with bad news, pull in a deep breath of love, send out compassion and care. Expand your ability to love over the little annoyances, exercise the kindness muscles until you can find your way to love those you disagree with, those you find contemptible.

The world is large, full of dark and light, sad and happy, tragic and joyous. Lean toward the light, the happy, the joyous. Pull others with you like the rising tide of a tsunami obliterating the cruelty deep within our souls. Powerful love can overwhelm any detractor.

Turn your overwhelm into love.

 

Easy as apple pie. A no brainer. It’s a simple action we all can take. It takes some willingness to do some google research, reading some political platforms and watching carefully if your representatives are voting in a way that matches the promises.  Know what you want and hold your representatives to that standard. Talk. To. Your. Neighbors. Talk to people in other districts, respectfully and with a willingness to hear how others see issues. Have a conversation.

This change of focus is 180 degrees. A focus away from helplessness and giving our power to others, to one of hope and action, turning toward what is good, what is valued, what is right. Every look back into history shows that eventually good overcomes destruction. In this time of human evolution, we are looking to overcome the insidious dysfunction that may lead to an impending destruction of democracies here and around the world. The dysfunction is in how we talk to each other, how we see each other, how we fall for anything that matches our world view. We need to open our minds, talk to each other and find common ground in our common values.

The nervousness in this country is from a deep knowing that potential evil is loose and an abiding uncertainty we are unable to stop it. Good news, we can stop it. Its what Americans are made of, its what we love best, when good finds its power to keep the world safe. Every blockbuster Hollywood film has this as its theme, the heroine always wins. We can win too.

We have been hoping our representatives had it under control. We thought they could find a way through the gridlock to get something done. Never happened. We can march, protest and make calls until the cows come home, and that is an important part of the process, but the action that will make lasting change is the one that lets your representative know what you want and to see results in congressional actions, to talk to others, broaden the discussion to create solutions.

Values. Morals. Ethics. This is the focus that can bring us together. All people have the same needs and wants, the same desire for clean air, water, food, education, access to healthcare and appropriately used taxes. The question is how to go about accomplishing those goals, finding the balance between unwieldy government overreach, protection of the disenfranchised and protection of the populace from unethical practices.

As I say over and over again, this is not a Republican or Democratic issue. There is a lens from which to find candidates, people that will work together with the opposite party to find solutions based in common values. Remember that solutions are not a one shot deal. It is a process that grows and changes as the country and its people grow and change.

Trump policies could also be the focus that brings various groups together and that is already happening. Find, encourage and vote for candidates that will work as Senator Warren or Senator McCain or any other politicians who want to work for the common good of this country together. That is the lens that will save us all.

There’s something afoot. The wind is rising from a new corner. A fresh air is coming through from parts unknown. Allow yourself to slow down, settle, listen. It is not strident, yelling, worried or fearful. There is a peacefulness surrounding you, in you, always ever present, speaking in soft tones of hope and renewal.

When difficult times rear up, the answer arises as well. An opposite but not equal response. A more powerful riposte speaking through stillness, creativity and an innovation never known before, but obvious in its brilliance.

You have a part in this. Still yourself and open to the space where time and place don’t exist. Lean against a tree, feel the wisdom of the roots deep in the earth and the branches drawing in the light. Allow yourself to set aside everyday thinking tuning to natures steady rhythm of fall and rise, and her persistent cycling in and out of dark to light.

What if? What if there is an answer? What if the answer is different than anything we have thought of before? What if the answer goes against convention? What if we take a new path? What tickles at you? What ideas come to you about how the world might respond to our latest crisis? You can hear the whispers, if you take some time to tune in.

It may be a meditation or prayer you add to the fabric of humanity at the break of dawn or the setting of the sun. It may be listening carefully to those who seem opposite you, looking for connection. It may be action you take in your neighborhood, learning about how to solve hard problems. It may be an act of generosity. It may be in a school, a church, a temple, a campaign or a homeless shelter.

Today is about rising up. A phoenix from the ashes. A joy the world has not known, but is ready to embrace, is at your fingertips and will come from your very hands, head and heart.

Breathe

Listen with an open mind

Rise, bring your energy to the world with love and care

All hands on deck. Everyone turn to. This is a group effort. Survival of the fittest group. Rise up and shine. Lift up and rejoice.

You Are. I Am. We Are. One