Sunday News ponderings

There has been a lot in the news these days about race, religion and equality.  I get it.  Things are very bad and we need to change them.  But how do we do that?  There is a lot of anger, and I never see rage and rioting as answers to the problem.  Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the point of stealing everything from a neighborhood store and burning it down to cause change.  I am a big proponent  of the "change from within" school of thought.  To change the way things are run, you must first enter into the system.  Standing on the outside throwing rocks is not going to cut it.   We must work together to bring about the change we want to see, in our communities and in our world.

I have been thinking about a statement I read that said something about "if someone says they are color-blind then you are invisible to them"  I have been thinking about that quote in terms of me and how I view things.  It did make me think.   I am NOT colorblind.  I do see what color you are, just like I notice your hairstyle or your clothes, but NONE of those things dictate how I treat you. The thing that does that is your attitude.  If you come at me in anger, I will react accordingly.  Simple as that.  There is anger on both sides of things these days.  There are laws that are supposed to protect people from that, but while you can legislate  lifestyle, you cannot legislate hearts or minds.  We must begin to change.  As a Christian, I find it inconceivable to see the hate spewing from people's mouths who declare themselves to follow Christ's teachings.  Really?  Did you miss the "Love ye one another" part?  It doesn't say "Love ye one another if they look like you."  Or "Love ye one another if they agree with you."  Nope.  Christ spoke of love, of brotherhood and of caring for each other.  Maybe some of these "Christians" should read the New Testament again- or at least the first five books.

I don't know how to change the world, to ease the anger and the suffering.  I will try to make things in my community better.  There is an old saying "Let each man sweep in front of his own doorstep and the whole world will be clean."   I think I will start there.