Humanity is Not a Headline

I have friends who are police officers and they are men of integrity, compassion and, in my opinion, bravery. The media has managed to twist tragedies into a war among our citizens. Our police, who have sworn and CHOSEN to protect us, are being targeted. Are there kooks in every community? Yes! Race, religion, occupation, gender, location, generation...not one is exempt from that REALITY.  What the media wants us to believe, however, is the people they choose to highlight are the norm and not the exception.  

We are living in a world where the rich lifestyle of a woman who became famous for her large behind is somehow supposed to MATTER.  We live in a world where directed lives are supposed to be bought as reality. We are living in a world where we've given celebrities permission to screw with "regular" people (and make no mistake, when you watch, you give it ALL permission, and your blessing, to continue). 

I am outraged about the manipulation of the media and the resulting tragedies, on all sides. I miss the days when news was news and not an agenda.  The people who SERVE and PROTECT are the ones who allow us to rest at night, and provide hope. Are we really looking to diminish that? I hurt for the people who, in dire circumstances, feel they have no one to turn to for peace, and feel they have no voice. I just pray they stop giving their voice to someone who distorts it and speaks in a way they never intended.  

We MUST come together again and find some common ground.  Racism, by ALL colors, is not okay. Taking an innocent life, by ANY hand, is not okay.  Make our differences COUNT for something. In a thriving world, we would learn from each other and delight in those discoveries. In a thriving world we would seek knowledge and not allow someone to feed us their version of it.  We MUST preserve our HUMANITY and not just the news-worthy pieces of it. We will find it in the daily grind, the parenting, the dreams, in innovation, the screams into pillows, the dancing, in an embrace and a shared smile.  It's not too late but it is URGENT we look at each other again by volumes of history, and not as a single word. Cop. Black. Can you, in your RICHNESS, imagine being defined by a single word? Neither can I. 

God, bless this WORLD, that your children know the joy to be found, that none shall perish. Amen.