We need words and acts of wisdom, ethics and compassion, from our leaders now more than ever. Since this is utterly lacking, take heart from the words of a truly gifted leader that could never be more relevant than today.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
“Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963
“Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”
“I Have a Dream”, Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963
My heart breaks for George Floyd, his family, and our country. Are we not better people than this?
There are no cheers today, only grief~
See:
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/#vision
Thanks, Cindy, for this reminder of what a good leader says. Not self-aggrandizing and blaming others, but looking for hope and justice for all.
We need hope and justice for all and we do not have it now. Thank you Audrey დ
Thank you.
Thank you my friend დ
Shared it on Facebook.
I used to think we had worked through this is the 1960’s and 70’s. Clearly I was wrong. It is back more evil and destructive than ever.
It certainly feels more evil, but maybe it’s just because I’m old enough to see how deep the ugliness goes.
Yes. I had hoped it was getting better, but the last four years have proved me very wrong.
Sadly true.
დ
I thought so, too. Cindy. I just can’t believe that so many good people gave their lives for the civil rights of others, and we’re back to this.
I can’t believe it either. It is very sad.
Thank you, Cindy. It gives ME hope that so many are speaking up and speaking out. Much respect. ❤
And back to you. Thank you. We did it before. We can do it again დ
Reblogged this on Nesie's Place and commented:
Leadership matters.
Yes, and leadership that incites violence and hatred amongst Americans must be stopped დ
The words coming out of our current leader are totally disheartening. I never voted for George Bush (the younger) but he put out a wonderful hopeful video message in the midst of this pandemic that was truly what a leader should be saying. And we have the words of Obama these days as well – Lordy, I miss him. And yes, we do somehow have to learn to be so much better than this . I want to learn how.
George Bush’s message was beautiful and heartfelt and sincere. He lives his faith, saying “We are all equal in the sight of God.” There are so many good republicans. We need them speaking up. Bush & Obama’s recent statements reflect their awareness of the gravitas of the presidency and the country and the current danger in a way that is currently not present at all. We need more leaders with the courage to speak up for justice and fairness. დ
I agree 100%. These are very scary days, and I hope and pray we have a different president by next year.
I share your hope and prayers დ
It is truly heartbreaking how we don’t seem to have made much progress since MLK. For 8 glorious years, I thought the country was making strides by electing the first African-American president, but apparently that just threw more gas into the evil that was doing a slow burn below the surface. 🙁
It took me by surprise too. Although by the time the election rolled around, I was in the Navajo nation that night, and I predicted the outcome. My husband said it would never happen. I am sorry I was right. It has led us to this. Citizen against citizen, violence condoned. Sad.
It is truly heartbreaking.
It is.
Bravo.
Grazie Robert დ
Thank you for this Cindy. I’ve been thinking a lot about Dr. King the last few days and wishing he was here.
Yes. Me too. He was a person who exemplified the teachings of Jesus in a way that we are not seeing enough of now დ
It’s a crying shame.
Cindy, I have asked over and over… where is our great leader?
Where?
They are few and far between.
I still ask… why did JFK, MLK & RFK have to be murdered?
That was 70 years ago.
Have we come to nowhere?
Apparently, nowhere is where we are.
We certainly have not evolved in a forward direction have we? It is so disheartening to see the normalization of hatred, racism and violence from our president.
Agree!
I’m not thrilled with our Canadian leaders, but they are basically kind & well meaning.
Your president is a clear and present danger.
Yes. ‘A clear and present danger.’ And we are watching his effect unfold across the nation in real time now, with real violence, that he continues to incite. I think he expects to gain from it, scaring white people to vote for him in November, by overtly encouraging racial fear and hatred.
Agree…a great leader will clean up our world.
So desperately needed now…. დ
❤️
Indeed!
Thank you Bette დ
My worst fears came true the night Trump was elected. I saw it coming, but hoped otherwise. I knew it would be bad, but didn’t think it would be that bad.
It is extremely sad to witness the fall.
Thank you for posting this. I pray for wise leaders. I pray for the family of George Floyd and for all of us. Time to wake up and speak out. We all need to be activists these days.
Yes we do and thank you for saying this so eloquently დ
We ARE better than this.
I know we are. And we all need to stand now and make this clear. Thank you John დ
Cindy, thank you so much. I wonder if we will ever be able to trust the “leaders” again. Tragedy upon tragedy is made harder without comfort. I appreciate your comfort from Dr. King.
He shows us what we are missing დ
Awww…it’s heartbreaking to hear about George Floyd. So angry that such tragedy is happening again and again and again. Big hugs to you, my friend, ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
We can be silent no longer. Thank you my friend დ
(｡-_-｡ )人( ｡-_-｡) ♥
დ დ
I echo your comemnts. So sad to see what has happened and what is going on.
Thank you Gary დ
I find the current situation in the States utterly shocking. It’s such a shame.
It is shameful and sad.
😞
Thanks Cindy – truly disturbing. And it goes along with leadership responses all over the world to the pandemic – amazing in some countries, appalling in others resulting in frighteningly high numbers of cases and deaths.
Yes. I see some countries led by compassion and intelligence, overcoming. And I live in a different country. It is very sad.
This was a great read and I enjoyed it.
Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you more for appreciating it დ
Thank you for this beautiful post, Cindy. The world grieves with you.
We have to live with hope and strengthen it. I do love the speeches by Martin Luther King.
A peaceful man.
miriam
We need peace to move back into the light as a country. A place where hope and kindness rule დ
es gab und gibt mutige Menschen, schönen Samstag vor Pfingsten wünsche ich dir, Klaus
Danke und Gott segne dich. Wir brauchen einen ethischen und mitfühlenden Führer in den Vereinigten Staaten დ
Sadly – such a necessary post
Yes. Sad. Thank you Derrick დ
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Grazie mille დ
Sad but true.🙁
Thank you დ
Yes, a leader that puts humanity first is urgently needed!
Yes. Time without this passes slow and heavy დ
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Information for better leadership.
Please God, grant us good leaders. დ
The situation in the states is heartbreaking.
I have lived through a lot of history. But these days are so dark and bleak. Hatred and selfishness are the rulers now. It is heartbreaking.
This is much bigger than a blog post. Humans have always wanted what others have and have also looked down upon those less fortunate. People can walk any path they want but what festers in their hearts is the truth.
Humans are a nasty lot and have been since the beginning which is why we need laws, rules, and police to enforce them, thankfully I know wonderful cops but have crossed paths with a few disgusting ones who knew right away I was not one to let things slide.
These are trying times with the virus and for me watching people day in and day out show complete disregard for others’ health and calling it a scam is beyond pathetic. Liberals add gas to the fire and enrage even their own party.
I feel bad for the family who lost another to violence and the fact these two knew each other we will be subject to more dirt when reporters dig deeper but they need to do a better job period.
What country are you off shooting in? Did you get stuck outside of the USA for any of the quarantine?
Hope you are safe Cindy time for me to get back out to the garden have a wonderful weekend.
Oh, Eunice, such words of heart and wisdom. If we remain in this divide, hating on each other, never seeing the other’s viewpoint, then the chance for healing and compromise is hopeless. And this is what we need. Compromise. Healing. A willingness to listen to different points of view. Without this, all we will get is what we have now, escalating hatred and violence. You and I have lived through it all haven’t we my friend. But these are dark days indeed. We need to move collectively towards the light.
I have been home at The Holler hunkering down since early March. Love to you my friend & stay safe.
I try to always share the love and pray for peace, sadly some will never get it 🙁 Our nation is young with more battles will befall us as a nation which sickens me as we all are from the human race.
Another man dies and even though the law came down on the officer responsible it is still not good enough for the hoards who want to be a part of something so ugly destroying innocent people’s businesses. Hurting random people in the streets is never the solution. Glad you are safe at home. xo
Well said! I just hope you don’t have to suffer his incompetence, racism, bullying and hatred beyond this year’s election.
I now have a more direct experience of what it is like to live in a nation under a racist, authoritarian leader. It is a terrible feeling of hopelessness. Four more years is eight too much to tolerate.
Keeping my fingers crossed that it ends this year. We have a mini-me version of him here, showing signs of moving in the same direction.
Yes, you do. But you also have a history, going back quite a long time, resisting people like this. Good on you.
I live in hope!
დ დ
A great leader remains a great leader even after they are gone. Thankfully. Lessons to be learned and relearned. Thank you Cindy for his voice again.
We need the power of his light now don’t we. Thank God he once was here to lead us still.
Amen. We do.
დ დ
There have been great leaders in this world, whose values willl never lose their meaning: Martin Luther Kind, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela. It is a shame that these days childish, brutal narcissists may call themselves leaders and that they are able to infect so many people with their evil. Worldwide.
Thank you for this inspiring post.
Thank you for the depth of your understanding of what is wrong and what needs to be done to put us back on the side of right and light.
I understand how you feel, this kind of discrimination should not have happened, it’s up to the leaders to lead and treat each of their citizens kindly.
Thank you. Kindness are fairness are necessities for any ethical society.
The title hit me hard….😭
Thank you. These are sad days for our country.
In so many countries, not only our own, it is the mobsters that are running the countries and those that think they will benefit from them back them. Eventually, those that resist die. It’s a repeat of history over and over. We as humanity, never seem to learn. We are one entity and what we do to one, we do to all. MLK said it all so well. We ALL need a different mindset. Here’s hoping. Thanks, Cindy.
Thank you Marlene. It boils down to this. If you can be happy having it all for yourself while others suffer and die, then you are not a good person. There is hope for everyone though. People can change and redeem themselves. We all can be better. I share your hope for a better future Marlene.
I completely agree Cindy. We need new leadership with morals, integrity, courage, and compassion to act for the common good. Meanwhile, it is up to us to lead in our circles, families, and friends. Thanks for setting an example.
I love my blogging community. What a force we are for what it is right. Thank you Brad for being you. It is a honor to know you.
Thank you Cindy. I feel the same about you and our community.
დ
That is so true Cindy. We need people who will take the long term view.
Leslie xoxo
And focus on the common good, not division and hatred.
Exactly!
დ დ
This is certainly a tragedy, and we need an understanding of each other, instead of fearing each other, now more than ever. I am holding a vision for that kind of outcome, Cindy.
I hope so too. Hating ‘the other’ does nothing but create more hate and violence. Finding common ground and compromise is the way to proceed.
🙏❤️
დ 🙏
The pain and frustration that the African American community continues to experience is heartbreaking. Not just these despicable acts that are taking the lives of so many but the general inequality, both hidden and overt, are so disappointing in a country that holds so much promise for greatness and a good life for all. And the direction our leadership has taken both in dealing with inequality and with the numbers of dead from the virusd, many also from the minority communities, is a blot of stain in front of the world’s eyes. We present ourselves, or did, as better than this. How we will recover is a troubling mystery right now. Leadership will be key, if only someone of MLK’s stature was on the national stage, but also we need our population as willing to be led and care for each other which seems so remote right now.
How eloquent and beautifully expressed Steve. Thank you for sharing your very moving thoughts. We have descended into a mire of racial hatred abetted by our president and his supporters. The result is evident for the world to see. Lawlessness and murder carried out again and again, for no reason other than being black in America. Shame on us.
It makes everything worse that there will be no REAL justice for his death, and the policemen who watched, will get no punishment at all. The cop murdered him in cold blood, while he begged for his life and bystanders tried to tell them to stop. The cop kept his knew on the man’s throat for almost three minutes after he stopped moving. He’s charged with the lowest charge possible, third degree murder, when he clearly knew what he was doing. Justice will, once again, not be served. Nothing will change. The riots…are the voice of those who have no voice, no justice. The hatred and injustice will continue until we, the people, stop it.
In the old days of the racist south, the kkk covered themselves in sheets to hide their identity, and went about their racially motivated hate, rape, murder and mayhem, in the cover of darkness. Trump has made it acceptable for four policemen to murder a cooperating man slowly, in broad daylight, in a crowded street while people watched , filmed, and asked them to stop. And he is just the latest in death by police if you’re black in America. We have sunk lower then the kkk.
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Love to you wonderful friend დ
Excellent thoughts, Cindy. We need more Martin Luther Kings and fewer brain-dead racists.
Ignorance and racial hatred are not the basis of good government. I can’t believe I even have to say this……
We all do. Everywhere…
Yes. Thank you.
To change the words of a well known song, “Where have all the leaders gone?”
Exactly? Where are the new up and coming ones? The hope for the future?
Thank you for sharing this, Cindy. Could we ever use an inspirational leader today. This whole situation is shuddering this nation to it’s bones.
Yes it is. And it is time, now, to stop this. Racial hatred cannot be the motivating factor in our country.
Aside from being such a destructive force on human lives and prosperity, it’s completely irrational.
It is a buttress for an insecure psyche and it is so destructive.
If not “great” leaders, at least someone with a brain larger than pea and 2 grains of common sense to rub together, both of which are in short supply in our political systems these days.
Hi Cuz ! No, I really didn’t fall off the face of the earth, just took a short hiatus from the madness. Disease, chaos, murder, deceipt, riots, destruction, ….have we, as human beings really wandered so far off the path ??? 😟
It is a sad state we are in. I can understand your hiatus and salute you for taking it. Common sense and brain power are pretty necessary aren’t they in a president. I find it absurd that we are in a position of having to say this, but we are, and do have too. Stay safe and well cuz. It is always so good to hear from you. დ
I would agree we are in need of great leaders, but it is much too often we discover the greatness of a leader far after the fact. For now, I would settle for basic competency and empathy, both of which are in short supply.
Yes. I hear you and share your frustration. I would go with competency and empathy too. Why are they in such short supply? It is sad.
Speaking of leadership, the Houston PD police chief, Art Acevedo, said if Trump cannot be constructive, “just shut up.” I would’ve added the f-word so he (Trump) would understand better. I see him as the main perpetrator of the angst, frustration, indifference we are experiencing. Like you, I grew up in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As tumultuous as those days were, these days, today, are far more darker. And, with the weather becoming warmer this week, I hope it does not become more combustible.
Yes. I agree with you. We have never had a president who seems to relish creating a race war in the country. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. His father was arrested in a KKK riot in 1927. It is a arrest record verified fact, reported by all the reputable media. Like father, like son. God help us.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/28/in-1927-donald-trumps-father-was-arrested-after-a-klan-riot-in-queens/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/charlottesville-latest-donald-trump-father-fred-arrested-ku-klux-klan-kkk-rally-riot-queens-new-york-a7891701.html
Cindy, thank you so much for this excellent and needed post!
As always Charles, thank you for being you.
Reblogged this on charles french words reading and writing and commented:
Please read this excellent and needed post from Cindy Knoke at https://cindyknoke.com.
Trumpers say we are snowflakes.
They have obviously never seen,
sequential, devastating, avalanches.
Power rests in cumulative effect.
Thank Charles for being you.
My hope is that the tide of decency returns this November!
And if it doesn’t, what will happen? Surreal question isn’t it. Considering the fall we are already experiencing.
That is my huge concern…trump keeps escalating, and nothing is being done to counter his outrageous actions. I honestly don’t know if I can stay in the US if (God forbid), he were to win another term. It is horrifying to watch.
It is horrifying to watch, systems of checks and balances, powerful positions, caving and enabling such a dysfunctional human being and family. He says he wants, and his supporters support, him running for a third term. The constitution means nothing. He wants to be president for life, like his boss Putin.
Yes, we are better than this! It has to start at the top though. Reboot! Joe Biden may not be a great leader but he will be a very good one. And many of our future leaders will be women, hopefully great leaders.
Racism goes very deep though…..and I am hopeful it will change……with excellent leaders in the future.
“Hope floats,”
or,
“Hope is the thing with feathers.”
I hope we can all, float and fly.
And change things.
Yes for sure! Blessings. 🙂
დ
Beyond words . . . . .
Alison xo
Love always to you my friend.
It is unbelievable that something like this happens these days….very sad. America really needs a great leader… where are they?
That is is the worst part. Where are they indeed? We need to find them, now! დ
We do need a great leader. I’m afraid I don’t see one on the horizon right now.
Neither do I, and that is truly sad.
It’s disconcerting how incidents like this one grab us by the collective throat and tap deep into our being the cry for justice, hope for peace, and desire for love — only to have everyone swiftly move on to the next thing before this thing is resolved. Thank you, Cindy, for pointing it out so well — that we can ill afford to keep doing thusly and must address and resolve these issues as (before?) they arise.
How sensitively felt and stated. I agree with you. Thank you. We need to fix what is broken before it overwhelms us and leaves us all broken დ
🙏🙏🙏Pawkisses for a Happy Pentecost Sunday, Cindy🐾😽💞
Pentecost blessings to you my friend დ
Thank you for writing such an inspiring piece.
Thank you more for caring and appreciating დ
You’re welcome. How are you coping, Cindy? Hopefully, all is well.
I hope and pray that this time we will see meaningful changes.
Thank you Kally. So do I დ
Reblogged this on Stine Writing and commented:
The leader of our country should be the first person to lead the country in the right way! Discrimination and Racism is disgusting!
Thank you. Listening, genuine empathy, respect, grief and sorrow shared, along with proactive solutions to address the destructiveness of racial hatred and violence in the US, is what our president needs to feel, express and do. Unfortunately he cannot experience, do or express any of this genuinely, and this is a significant and fundamental failure on his part, that is harming all of us.
Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
Thank you! I appreciate your concern and solidarity immensely. Be safe and well დ
How true, we are interdependent worldwide to preserve, care for and care for our wonderful earth. There has to be justice in all countries and I don’t understand why the US is having such a hard time with it. I also have a dream: justice for all people on our planet.
I had thought we had moved past this racial hatred and violence. I thought we had learned and evolved, improved. It is heartbreaking to see our country descend into chaos egged on by hate and to realize we have sunk further into darkness than ever before. For police to feel empowered to restrain and murder a human being in the middle of the street, in broad daylight, while people begged them to stop, tells us everything about the current state of the union. I have seen a lot of bad stuff in my life. This is worse.
You couldn’t have said it any better.
It is Dr. Kings voice that rings so loudly even from the grave. Shaming us with how far we have fallen from his beautiful dream and love for us all. I can hear his voice as I type. It is so sad. I thought we had learned, but we haven’t. We are crawling back to even more hatred and violence.
The great leaders are coming to the scene when people are ready for them. Nowadays it is not the time. For the most of the people Money and Greed iare the most relevant things for today but not Love and Care about anybody and anything else. Sorry, probably these words are not really appropriate for particular situation, but it is just my own humble opinion.
You’re right. Greed and hate are the motivating factors of the day and they lead to this horrific result. Sad.
My hear hurts. I’m struggling to find ways to play a role to bring upon change. Some days I feel helpless.
*heart
დდ
I know. It is this feeling of grief, anger and frustration. Helpless is the right word. Thank you so much for reaching out and speaking up Alethea დ
Reblogged this on The Light Behind the Story.
Ahhh, thank you so much Alethea for sharing, caring and speaking up. This darkness needs to end დდ
I’m trying to spread the words of truth wherever I can and hope that some people who are blinded by Trump’s force will finally start to see a glimmer of reality. It’s mind-boggling and frankly inexcusable to me that there are intelligent and educated people out there who refuse to reject all that he stands for. Why? I’m guessing because they don’t want to lose their personal wealth, and/or guns. So very disheartening. 🙁
Some supporters feel they are fighting for a larger piece of the pie and competing against minorities for it. If resources in our very wealthy country were distributed more fairly, then there would be no need to fight for your piece of pie. It is sad and disheartening and frustrating. Trump and his helpers have certainly made everything so much worse.
I put a post on my blog last night asking everyone to reblog Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech. Only one person reblogged it which is really upsetting. I understand many of my followers or people I follow live in other countries so this may not be relevant but I know many of the people I interact with are in the US and is is really sad that no one reblogged it. We need him back right about now!
His presence, even deceased, brings a sense of calm, a feeling of love, and moral and spiritual connectedness. It is so sad that things are now as terrible as they are now. I thought we had progressed, evolved and improved. Some of us have, but others clearly are even worse. Note this disturbing fact:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/charlottesville-latest-donald-trump-father-fred-arrested-ku-klux-klan-kkk-rally-riot-queens-new-york-a7891701.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/28/in-1927-donald-trumps-father-was-arrested-after-a-klan-riot-in-queens/
That is really bad
It is.
I pray things will get better for America and for all races. Even though racism exists everywhere and racial violence exists in other countries, it’s always distressing and disappointing to see them in an advanced ‘first world’ country, especially America because I think much of the rest of the world still looks up to it as the ultimate progressive nation (despite the current president doing his best to change that standing, in my opinion).
It’s truly heartbreaking what’s happening now. And it’s very, very difficult to find a peaceful solution because there are so many people within who want chaos and violence to achieve their racist objective. It’s just like when terrorists are determined to destroy the peace between Muslims and non-Muslims, by committing murder and violence so that they can try to recruit more people on both sides to get on board their sick thinking and spread more hatred and violence, either through further actual violence or online incitement. Regarding the unrest in America now, I hope Americans of all races will stay strong and united to continue opposing all violence, and that more concrete action will be taken by the political leaders to help this. Hugs to you, Cindy! Cheers.
I share your hopes Halim. The leadership we have is clearly throwing gas on the fires, fanning the flames, making everything worse. This is the time to listen. To feel and express genuine empathy. To brainstorm ideas for solutions, seek compromise. Take proactive helpful action. Trump and his team has proved themselves unable to do any of these things. They posture, and encourage racist rhetoric, they fan the flames of violence. They are culpable, and the result is terribly sad for so many of us in this country.
Cindy, I see I’m not too late to leave a response to this post. I’m not one for politicising everything but I wanted to say I appreciate the way you expressed your thoughts and feelings in this post. I wish more people would follow your example and call George, the victim of this horrible crime, by his name, and express condolences to his family in that same spirit.
If we were doing better as a society, those bystanders would have gone up to the police officers and pushed them off George and called for emergency medical services themselves. But we live in a society where we are afraid of being arrested – if it meant rescuing a man who is obviously in distress, it would be the right way to start. That is the problem I see.
I believe that the way we have gone about addressing human rights abuses is piecemeal. This is why incidents like these are always happening. The underlying problem is that we don’t have the mindset of “each man as my brother, each man as my friend”. Even if he committed a crime, he is still a member of our community and we have to treat him with the dignity and respect that we would want for ourselves.
Put differently, we are told by people in authority that having authority is the best thing because it gives us power, freedom and security. Because everybody else is competing for what seems to be a limited resource, it creates this power struggle between people. And of course when you’re levelled out in terms of economic and social positioning, people will create hierarchies and position themselves in order to attain power and authority. This is why politicians are helpless and ineffective in situations like these.
So, leadership is going to have to be cooperative. There has to be a group of people who decide that we have to share leadership within our communities and assign roles to each other so that we can level out all of this top-down thinking.
It does seem like we are witnessing the fall of the republic. When the system is ruled by greed, racist self interest and violence, coupled with unfair resource allocation to all, anarchy and rage rise up, before the republic falls. It is not like we didn’t know. It is not like we didn’t have ample warning. We are seeing in our country what Trump and his supporters have done to us, they have reaped the storm and it is a bad one.
It is bad. But we can do better if we keep being challenged to do so by those, like you, who are conscientious and compassionate.
Yes, you plus me, plus all the other humans who want kindness over cruelty, we are the snowflakes, the term Trumpsters use to deride us. Apparently most trumpsters have never experienced sequential high altitude avalanches. Snowflakes working together are an unstoppable sequential avalanche force. Stay well my friend.
I just got done watching the mother of George Floyd’s daughter try to speak to the media, but she could barely get a word out through her tears. It was awful, and even Wolf Blitzer looked like he was about to cry on camera. How can we keep doing this to mothers and children? And then instead of offering comfort, our dictator-in-chief says we need to “dominate” people who’ve already been controlled and abused for 400 years. Our country is a disgrace to the world.
Yes, we have sunk lower than I thought possible, and then our racist in chief takes us even further down. Did you know his father who was in the KKK was arrested in a KKK riot in New York in 1927. Like father, like son. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/28/in-1927-donald-trumps-father-was-arrested-after-a-klan-riot-in-queens/
I knew his dad was a racist, but I didn’t know he was in the KKK! Sickening.
Yes.
❤️❤️❤️
დ
Hi Cindy, this might be controversial, but I feel it needs to be said – although I’m not American I’m from a country (South Africa) that is quintessentially known for race issues, but in many respects the USA and South Africa are not so different in that regard – historically speaking: South Africa had apartheid and the USA had the Jim Crow laws – even after segregation was abolished in both nations, racism and racial tensions continue to simmer and flare up at times today. Although there’s much more to be said about the history of all of this in both cases, suffice to say that both systems were abhorrent due to human rights violations. Now, to the issue of the current riots in the U.S.
My understanding is that several people have died in the protests so far and that one of them is an African-American police officer, shot by shop looters. So I’ll get straight to the point here and say that (whether this happens in US, SA, or anywhere else), I do not see how such violent acts (including the gratuitous looting of stores & violence against peaceful shop owners, citizens OR police) can be condoned (through silence).
For me, personally, to be against racism I have to be against all racism – and to be against violence, I have to be against all violence – I cannot be selective about it. Therefore I would have to condemn both the racist violence that set the whole thing off (first) as well as the racist violent response to it (second). There are clearly a lot of opportunists who would always take advantage of these type of situations under the cover of “it being justified” – and (if it were me) by not condemning them too, I would hold double standards and be supporting violence – which is not what I’m about.
Something I have come realize over time is that when it comes to protesting against racism, there is absolutely no way that the majority of people in the USA or Europe (or most other places for that matter) would ever say a word against anti-white racism – especially in South Africa, (where it is as real today as Apartheid was real in the past) – to the extent that I never bring up the issue, because I already know it would simply be ignored by very ardent anti-racism activists who would normally so powerfully protest against racism (of a certain kind).
It is that inherent bias among the majority of good citizens that has made me skeptical of the authenticity of people in general who claim to fight against racism, because when it happens in a reverse context, they go silent (90% would) because it’s simply not politically correct. I know this from observation over a couple of decades in various countries and across the internet.
For me the question right now is: how much violence during protests must happen before it is condemned by good citizens in general? (only when absolutely everything is in ruins and loads more or people have died?)
Speaking one’s truth is very important, even it has the potential of burning bridges, hopefully it wont in this case – thanks for hearing me out!
J.J.
Such a well thought out, respectful expression of your experience and thoughts could never burn any bridges with me. I don’t expect people to agree with me, and I welcome thought provoking discussion and differing view points. This is how we learn, advance our knowledge, and reach compromise. I have seen and personally experienced some of what you describe in South Africa and found it incredibly frightening. I know you have experienced and know so much more first hand. You are so right, speaking one’s truth is important to our own personal integrity. I am glad you spoke from your heart and I thank you. I learned from it. I don’t condone looting, violence and mayhem, but I do understand the pain, helplessness, frustration and anger behind it, and I do support the right and need for protest. I hope these multi-racial protests impacting our country force leadership to stop, think and change their racist rhetoric and practices, because change is absolutely needed. Thank you for speaking up. დ
True words of hope, Cindy, thank you for posting. xxx
Thank you
“Great” and “Leader” do not seem to come together as a concept these days… – Oscar
Everytime we need great Leader at everytings
I agree დ
Sending you a fantastic article and leader the entire world needs now.
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2002201?q=leader&p=par
Thank you for your kind hearted motivation in sending this to me. I am sure Dr. King who was a Christian minister and a person who lived his faith appreciates it too. God Bless you & keep you. დ
Thank you, thank you for this post! Cindy!
Thank you for standing with those who care Amy დ
How many Floyds before we come to our senses? Well written.
When indeed! There have already been too many and it is still happening now. Thank you for your support & take good care დ
I totally agree with you. We need great leaders to take us out of the mess we are in. May God help us.
May God help us. Love to you Beverly. Dr. King is leading us, even now. დ
His messgae still resonates. Blessings.
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Thank you for the like, I agree a great leader is needed.
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I agree and we need a great leader in the UK too. Sadly lacking at the moment. Racism brings a whole host of nasties which we can’t ever allow to take hold. But the protests though valid do worry me during a pandemic.
Yes. Agreed. Strange days indeed. Unfortunately racism has been allowed to take hold for quite a long time, historically speaking. Seeing it rise up now accepted by leadership is unacceptable. I do like what many physicians are saying regarding covid and the protests, “racism is worse than covid.” Besides, how long can we continue to isolate in our homes? I know the answer for me, my grandbaby twins are coming for dinner Wednesday. There are 20 months old. I haven’t hugged them for three months. დ
Yes totally. Have fun with your grand baby twins. I’m missing my mum, dad and brother so much. Hope to see them before too long. But have to be careful as my dad is 91. Xxx
These are strange days aren’t they, in so many ways. It is so good you have family you love and miss. My mother and father are 93 and 92, respectively. დ
Thank you for the remembrance on Martin Luther King. Its really horrible what happend again. Racism is one of the biggest problems, but i always ask myself why people cant follow their hearts? ;-(
Thank you and I share your feelings. I hope these days of protest bring about latest and significant improvement and change. It has gotten so terribly bad in the US. დ
Oh yes.We only can hope for an change With Corona the future can be harmful enough. All the best.
Take good care my friend დ
Thank you. You too, Cindy!Enjoy your weekend.
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Reblogged this on poetry, photos and musings oh my! and commented:
“The duty of a true Patriot is to protect his country from its government.”
– Thomas Paine
Many of us stand around the world. Who will join us?
Love to you Lea and thank you დ
Thank you, Cindy. Your post is excellent and needed. Bisous mon amie! ❤
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Merci et toi aussi!
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I just couldn’t write about George Floyd despite wanting to. My draft was a scathing diatribe about racism and our inequitable society. Having been brought up in the UK, I feel that we need the basics of a first world country – Healthcare, Housing, Food. That would be a good place to start.
Yes. I hear you and I know. So unfair. In our current state of the union, Marie Antoinette, passing out cake, would be tear gassed and imprisoned.
The power of his words, heard and read, have no borders in time or space – they’re there always for all of us, because he knew, and reminded us — yes, we ARE better than this, and the promise and the dream are always there for us ❤️
So beautiful felt, thought and expressed. I concur wholeheartedly and thank you Felipe დ
Beautifully said 💗 The time is here to wake up to who we all are…. children of the divine…. thank you for being a bright light 💗🙏💗
Yes. We are all equal in the eyes of God. Love one another დ 🙏
Yes, his words are powerful and enriching. Just too many years gone by and still the need for a different way of being in this world. Leadership severely lacking in some of our ‘developed’ nations.
It is discouraging to find we have not learned from the past and evolved in a more direction as we should have დ
Lovely post, ya it’s crises of world leader.
We need to find better leaders quickly! დ
Yes, this is the time we need a great leader that truly has everyone’s welfare at heart. Someone who don’t see colors nor start hate and discrimination. We can’t have a leader that divides a nation & brew chaos and confusion.
We are in a very sorry state. This is what unbridled selfishness reaps.
I agree. The news keeps trying to wake us up but many refuse to. I don’t know what numbers of death must be for people to be scared. Health workers in the front lines are already tired & resources many not be enough when the worst hits in Fall to Winter. Stay Safe.
Yes very frightening time now. And pretending it will all go away is not the way to help. You stay safe too my friend დ
…..or lift ourselves in the neck!
Things are pretty dire here.
….and I thought that Aussis was ahead US
Australia is definitely doing a better job with covid than the US, most every country is actually, but I am home, in the US now. დ
You can say this again and again and again and it’s needed badly
It is hard to believe how much more horrifying everything has gotten here just in the last week.
Well said and so badly needed, Cindy! <3 It brakes my heart. <3
It is terribly sad to watch my country fall apart as the government abandons democratic principles and incites conflict დ
❤️