“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it” - Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird)
The word "understand" in the most literal sense means "to be present or within the midst" of things. This suggests, and I happen to agree with the suggestion, that all of us need to be present or immersed in an idea or concept in order to truly understand it. In fact, the more immersed we are, the better our understanding/knowing will be become. Why am I writing about this? Two reasons: one is to point out that, as a person who has only lived life as a white male, I will never fully know what it means to live as a black or brown person. In other words, I am fully immersed in the concept of living a life as an American white male by merely living my daily routine. But, the second reason is that my inability to fully understand the life of a person of color, does not remove my obligation to seek a deeper understanding of their life experience. This obligation to seek understanding is one of our most fundamental ones we have as social creatures. My obligation is to find ways to be present within the midst of racism, and that presence may require some effort on my part. This effort may be through study via books, documentaries, movies or better yet, personal encounter. If you’ve been around me long at all, you will have heard me loudly proclaim the need for personal one-on-one encounter. Simply put, I have experienced the dramatic personal transformative experience of the personal personal experience. Friendships I’ve formed with uber wealthy, desperately poor, refugees, transgender, people from around the world, people of color, Muslim, Hindu, Amish, homeless, heroin addicted have helped form healthy perspectives and often obliterated any preconceived ideas that I may have previously had for each of these groups. This experiential learning (being within the midst) helps us form thoughts, ideas and opinions around perspectives that are not limited to our own isolated experience. When we are able to broaden our perspectives to include the experience of others, then our perspective becomes more based in reality. We actually become able to see things as they really are, not as we merely perceive them. This is the power of relationships which have the ability to break down any barrier if pursued well. Whatever method we choose gain better understanding should be accompanied by our own willingness to admit our limited knowledge and the natural limits of our own point of view. We also need to be willing to leave behind any preconceived ideas or biases. In other words, we need to honestly seek new perspectives along the way.
So everyday I search for words. Sometimes, the words I use are intended to nudge others into dropping their guard or opening their hearts enough to consider this idea of a different perspective. Other times the words are more direct and fueled by frustration by the fact that we aren’t making more progress - the frustrated realization that our we all need to do a much better job coming to terms with the many prejudices and biases held against entire groups of people in our country. Biases that are based on something as benign as their skin color or ethnicity. Sometimes in an attempt to appeal to the rational mind, I use words that point to statistics like incarceration rates, prison sentences, capital punishment statistics, poverty rates, homeownership statistics - all pointing to a system that is squarely at odds with people of color, all skewed against groups of people due to the color of their skin. I do this in hope that, those who identify with this type of thought process. I desperately search for words.
Often I use words to appeal to those who profess a belief that is the same as my own Christian faith. This one is particularly difficult for me because I simply cannot square the Christian faith with anything resembling a lack of compassion or desire to seek understanding of others, particularly those who are marginalized. To be within the midst of those who suffer is central to the faith. Being present with those on the margins has to be a central theme for those who profess the faith because that is exactly what Jesus Christ did. Through his words and actions, he instructed us to do the same and the fact that this escapes so many people is completely bewildering to me and should be concerning to all. During an election year the lines between faith and politics have faded leaving many people hurting and abandoned, including people of color. We Christians often become more closely identified with political parties and special interests than the one we claim to follow. We often move away from the midst of the suffering to align ourselves with people who look, act, believe the way we do. The church needs to be different than the dominate culture, but the two are becoming increasingly indistinguishable. We are witnessing an increasingly narrow definition of American culture consuming the faith. Too often, culture consumes the faith the way it has here. I search for words.
I search for words, something new, something that will move the needle away from racism. I do this knowing that, all the while, I still have much to learn. I still have many blind-spots and unconscious biases that need worked on. By the way, it is perfectly acceptable to admit this because everyone has blind spots and biases (virtually every POC I know acknowledges this in themselves which points to their understanding of just how critical this self-knowledge is). I only truly know what it means to be in my skin, experience my experiences, and face my own unique obstacles (none of which are because of the color of my skin). But I still have the obligation to learn and feel the struggles of others while realizing that, as exasperated as I am with racism, my feelings are miniscule compared to those who are victims of it. James Baldwin, a black author and activist, said: "To be black in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time." I can't speak to whether that is the experience of the majority of black people, but I'm learning the depth and probability of it. Some describe the feeling using words like “hurting” and “pain” rather than rage, but the concept is the same and it is damaging. How would I react if given the same circumstances in which to live? While my first duty is to learn that of others who don't look like me, I believe that my understanding will continue leading me to the obligation of action and willingness to speak out. Perhaps this is why so many hesitate in their willingness to understand? Is it because they fear of the obligation to take personal responsibility? Regarding the use of my voice, I witness my own limited understanding whenever I open my mouth to speak on this topic, but I will keep searching for words.
So I search for words that many people of color have searched for long before me - something to help move us away from systemic racism. I do this realizing that any frustration I feel pales in comparison to the pain felt by those who are victims of it. While I can wake up infuriated by racism, I am not the direct victim nor have I felt the terrible personal effects of being treated by society as someone that is “less than”. The stories are real and we need to be willing to explore them. We need to listen and absorb them. The advice I gave my son as he was about to serve the refugees at our southern border was: “Go in with an open heart”. We need to be within the midst and remain committed to seeking knowledge. Why? Because even with all of our flaws, I believe in our basic created goodness. Obviously, there are those who will refuse this path, and they will not be swayed. But, for those who will embrace the idea of being in the midst, of being present and immersed toward deep understanding, there exists the promise of a transformative experience. That path results in new perspectives based on something real in which we will take action resulting in reconciliation. I believe that if more of my white brothers and sisters seek to be present within the midst - to earnestly seek to understand our brothers and sisters of color - we will quite literally help transform the world into that which more deeply reflects the beauty for which it is created. To not do this? Well, we have witnessed the death and destruction of this approach and we haven’t time for more of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment