“Time isn’t the main thing. It’s the only thing.”
Miles Davis
8 minutes and 46 seconds – That is the amount of time George Floyd spent under the knee of a police officer. Today was George Floyd’s memorial service and my wife and I watched. An interesting moment happened when the attendants were asked to stand in a moment of silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. We decided to stand as well, in our living room. It’s sad how long that time felt. I can only imagine how he felt in that situation before he died.
Time does not heal all wounds…
15 minutes – The amount of time not accounted for in the timeline surrounding my brother-in-law’s death from a six story fall from an apartment building. My brother-in-law Noel was hanging out with friends at their apartment on June 30th, 2012 in Colorado. Apparently, he spent time there until 6 p.m. and then he wasn’t seen again until his fall around 15 minutes later. Alibis from friends were given with no answers, video evidence wasn’t followed up on and subsequently deleted, and there was no willingness by the police to investigate the incident further. It is sad that people failed to help make sense of the tragedy and little attention was given by the police.
401 years – The amount of years since the year 1619 (the year consider to be the beginning of slavery in America). Blacks have experienced strain and racism since slavery began in America. “Not only was it legal; it was considered normal – exactly as it should be – by most of the population of our nation throughout the post-Civil War era and well into the 20th century. It was not until after WWII that things began to change. And when that change came, it came with a struggle. For every deserved right that blacks have gained, they have had to fight. That fight continues into our own time – it will continue as long as the inequality between the races exists.” (Georgetown Law Library- A Brief History of Civil Rights in the United States) https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/civilrights
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot”
Michael Altshuler
You control the time you have on this earth. We can control what we do moving forward. How are you using your time? People are worried right now about time. Reflecting on all that is going on in the world currently, I have learned that how I use my time and what I do with my time is important. We take time for granted. A man should not have been tortured and killed…officers could have seen Mr. Floyd as a human being in the time they had with him and given him the right to breathe and plead his case (empathy, compassion). A young man should not have ‘friends’ and a system abandon him and leave his cause of death as ‘undetermined’…friends and those in the system had time to listen to his story (empathy) and do right by Noel to bring justice (compassion). People of color should not have been mistreated, marginalized, and ignored by our country with a founding principle that focuses on “all men being created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights“…society could have used the time to show acknowledgement as a nation of how people of color have been treated, listen to and understand people of color (empathy), and actively move in love to change the wrongs of the past (compassion). So again, how are you using your time? There is still time to change the future. The memorial service today made me reflect about time. I will use my time to listen, understand, and STAND UP!!
What does your timeline say about you? Your time and your action or inaction can be seen now and after you’re gone. We can take examples from Jesus, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others whose words and actions are timeless.
Make your time timeless.
underSTANDUPlift 