Rowing in circles

“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’” – Martin Luther King Jr.

I’m exhausted, stressed, and tired. People of color experience this daily and for as long as we can remember. Dr. King experienced this worry throughout his life. His autopsy revealed that even though he was 39 years old at the time of his death, he had the heart of a 60 year old. It doesn’t matter how positive you are…stress wears us all down. Our mental health is important. I worry especially about my son, family, friends, and others who deal with the burdens we face. I worry about ‘the talk’ I will eventually have with my two oldest children. Despite some positive changes, much remains the same. I’m tired of the division, lies, violence, and fear. Prayers, hashtags, memes, protests, violence, and posts don’t change things alone. Until others act to carry the burden and act to get rid of it, it’s like people of color are rowing on one side of a boat going in circles. True progress is made when others are rowing beside us, on the other side.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” – Martin Luther King Jr.

One night, my wife and I discussed all of this and we had a great conversation. I love how she got into the boat with me and just started rowing. She saw that I was rowing in circles of frustration over the things read from my Facebook newsfeed. Despite the situation, she jumped in and stayed in. As we approached the end of our conversation, she asked me, ‘How can we change things?’. That night due to all the anger and frustration, I couldn’t really answer that question without emotion being the driving force. She encouraged me to share my thoughts. I’ve spent time letting things marinate. Time to answer that question…underSTANDUPlift !!