Friday, July 8, 2016

Dallas

I am heartsick about what happened overnight in Dallas—11 cops shot, 5 of them dead, all by sniper fire after what had been a peaceful rally protesting the deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota. It was a rally attended by all races, ages and creeds in Dallas, and as it wound down people were feeling a degree of hope about how they would move forward together. Police had marched alongside the protesters, clearing the way, protecting, serving.

It was a moment that reflected the dream of what could be, law enforcement officers as members of the community, not in opposition to it, despite the fact that the coming together was in the wake of so recent tragedy. And then the shooting started from somewhere above. And five more were added to the murder toll, the deadly unending roll call fueled by implicit bias and outright hate.

Last night at well past midnight, my daughter was watching with me as the horror unfolded in Dallas. "How would the whole history of humanity be different if guns had never been invented?" she asked me. I tried to imagine such a world.

6 comments:

  1. And if slavery had never been invented?
    Moot points, all. The horror is part of us now. We pay and pay and pay. Some with their lives.
    It's too much.

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  2. The shootings at the demonstration make no sense.

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  3. A wise question from your girl.

    I want to write more but my soul just feels all emptied out.

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  4. Not original but true:ultimately we ordinary people can love more than these few people can hate.

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  5. Like Angela above, I keep holding on to the thought that there is so much good out there. I believe - I truly do - that there is more good in the world than bad. But we don't hear as much about it.

    The bad hurts nonetheless.

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  6. So many feelings. It means a lot to read this post and know that others feel like me and not just hearing all the flashy, hateful media clips and simplified catchphrases.

    I will definitely continue to put as much love into this world as I can and I hope my fellow "ordinary" loving warriors will as well <3

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