ISMS and the many melanin/non-melanin issues

Adam and Eve couldn’t keep from eating the fruit, Cain was jealous of Abel and murdered him, this is the beginning story of humanity and it’s not been much better since.

As of today the temptation is to talk about racISM. As the week goes on I will do just that, but for today I want to speak about all the ISMS. For all of time there has been a group think mentality, an us verses them look at life. Even in the animal world we see lions kill baby cheetahs whenever they get the chance, eliminate the competition. The fallen temptation to conquer others, use others, have contempt for others or just simply turn a cold shoulder to others and a blind eye at best, to gouge them out at worst this is our human story. To think this is a recent historical phenomenon limited to USA history is obviously wrong.

Our temptation as humans here on planet earth is to disregard THEM in favor of US regardless of the thing that is at the center of it. Nationality, status, skin tone, education, job, house size, vacation, vehicle, music choices, political choices, anyone not a Denver Broncos fan. Read through any public forum and hate, utter disrespect, lack of listening/hearing etc is non-stop and seems to make the events of our day an obvious end.

This post today is no attempt to speak about any specific ISM, it’s an attempt to get me to focus on me and you on you. God asks us to love, honor, encourage, correct, teach, forgive each other etc, etc. To what extent are you or I bringing light to the world around us, and to what extent are you or I bringing darkness to the world around us in respect to how we treat every single person we come in contact with each and every day.

AND the answer to that question needs to not have any qualifiers on it. Take a marriage(or a broken friendship) for example. So many times when I’ve walked people through the issues it’s almost inevitably, “I’ll do the right thing after they do the right thing.” Translation, we’ll both continue to do the wrong thing and spur on the trouble. The correct answer is “I will do the right thing even if they never do the right thing.” (Sidebar, if the wrong thing someone is doing is illegal, they should be prosecuted for it just so there is no confusion about immoral action being okay).

I’l get to some other issues later this week but for now, if we really want to change the world there are a few things needed… 1. Individuals taking responsibility for their actions/inactions, 2. Living in the conviction that we are to be the solution we want to see around us. 3. Forgive those who are lacking the conviction of #2. 4. Seeking justice when the action rises to the level of criminal behavior. 5. Forgive some more, be light anyway.

The idea that humanity is going to change this side of heaven is far fetched, even impossible. It’s never an excuse to not try and move in that direction, but there will always be a horrible person who says/does something horrible. I don’t want to be the one adding to world’s trouble, I pray that 8 billion people would see it the same way, until then… ( the impossibility of 8 billion makes us shut down and give up, how about we get 100 million Americans committed to the following…)

DO JUSTLY, LOVE MERCY, WALK HUMBLY