Quiet or Peace

There are  a lot of things on my mind today, I guess because there are a lot of issues to think about. Everyday I read or see another example of police misconduct or abuse. The case of Sandra Bland is now in the news, after dying in police custody, after a routine traffic stop escalated with the police. I recently saw a man who apparently had a stroke behind the wheel of his car, and was tased and then shot in the face with mace, for not responding to the officers commands.  Are the police so afraid or power crazed that these things will just continue to occur unchecked?

I have heard the slogan "black lives matter" many times. But all lives matter. And how is it that we can be so verbal about these type of incidents and the rate of murder between African Americans also grows exponentially. How can we not look at stopping those crimes as well as what the police do. Can we possibly believe that you should get a pass because of your race or your upbringing?

In America you may have the 1% versus the 99%. But you also have groups of people in every race that face the same dilemmas. There are those that are thriving. They are the people with the good jobs and are well of financially. They have "made it" in our society and can afford to do what they want basically when and where the want too. There are those that are striving. These are the people that get up everyday and go to work to try to get ahead. They go to school and try to better themselves so that someday they can or their children can thrive. Then there are the strugglers. I think this is the biggest group in America today. These people work but just can't seem to get ahead. They pay their bills but they have very little left over and many need a little assistance, whether it be from the government or someone else.Then there are the poor or the thugs. They have either given up or decided that working isn't worth it. They will steal and have little regard for the other groups. You can be poor without being a thug but you suffer considerably on a daily basis, in a society that values wealth, possessions, and education in that order.

There are many people out there trying to make change. When I see some of the groups in the media I have to wonder are we missing the boat. There are elders, who have been raised during the civil rights era still asking for change. Is it those people, both black and white, where the racism  resides? Is this the group where the economic woes are causing the problem? How do you get to those parents who are raising the generation that is now lost, including there own? Will there be a generation that will come that can break the cycle?

I heard someone say that today things were pretty quiet. There were no killing, no protests, no natural catastrophes. But just because things are quiet does not mean that there is peace.The world is a violent place, and many say the end is coming, maybe sooner that we think. It is only a matter of time before the next theater shooting, the next case of police brutality, the next time some disrespects our President, or someone is deprived of life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness. We need to strive for peace in the Middle East, as well as all over the globe, including the USA.

Who's really at the end of the line

Sometimes I just think about how blessed I am and all the people of our great country. I look around and see a home, a car, food, water, resources, and all the things that come with living in America. Even those who have very little have some much more that millions who live on this earth. The complaints and things which stress us out, make me sad when I look at the news ( on a TV by the way) or read a newspaper (not censored), or just look around.

I. remember a saying from my youth that went something like " I was sad I had no shoes until I meet a man who had no feet" or something of this nature. It seems that there is always someone who has it worst than you and that you could help. Even those in our impoverished inner cities or rural mountains, still have a life that many around the world would take over their own.

I see the victims of the earthquake in Tibet and I cannot imagine living in the conditions that now exist. I look at the middle east where bombings and war has left areas, which were once homes, businesses and historical buildings, in rumbles. People with nothing searching for an existence where no support exist, no water, no shelter, no electricity, and probably no hope. In Iraq people are forced into a life of suffering just because they are on the wrong side of religion or ideology. In Ukraine, due to the war the people there have been forced to camps with little or nothing to sustain them and the threat of death all around.

So I am blessed that I am not trying to reach another country on an overcrowded boat, with everything I own in a bag, only to be placed in a camp with limited resources, but "alive". The poorest friend I know is better off than any of these people. Hopefully every day for the remainder of my time on this earth I will appreciate all the blessings God has bestowed upon me. I know for sure, no matter how difficult things are, that I am never going to be at the end of the line.