Change the conversation with #EachLifeMatters
I am a black man who is troubled by #BlackLivesMatter. A human being is a microcosm of humanity, yet as Father Zossima remarks in The Brothers Karamazov, “It is easy to love mankind, but much more difficult to love a single human being.” In the wake of the upsetting and seemingly racially-motivated string of incidents that has occurred across the United States, the widespread chant of #BlackLivesMatter has transformed into a movement. In contrast, the countercry of #AllLivesMatter has incurred the wrath of progressive voices for ostensibly invalidating the unique struggle of the contemporary African-American experience. While #AllLivesMatter insensitively suggests the colorblindness of such acts of violence clearly perpetrated against black bodies, #BlackLivesMatter co-opts such tragedies in order to renew the language of black victimization in America. What each side has lost is both a clear understanding of the nuance of contemporary racism in America, as well as any vision for the future.
Martin Luther King famously dreamt that his “four little children” would “one day live in a nation where they [would] not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” While we are indeed far from a post-racial society, its creation used to be an ideal rather than a taboo. Insisting that racism does not exist is flippant; however, the banner of black victimhood waved by more progressive voices does little more than perpetuate an anachronistic understanding of the contemporary American situation and delegitimize the laudable goal of a colorblind society of individuals. #BlackLivesMatter draws attention to a relevant problem, but it is offensive because it further divides without even seeking reunification. I offer the cry of “each life matters,” one that is both respectful of diversity and individuality while acknowledging our in-separateness from one another. The Buddha said, “In separateness lies the world’s great misery, in compassion lies the world’s true strength.” “Each life matters” is a compassionate call for justice that acknowledges we are not separate from one another, but we are indeed unique. Our political realities may temporarily be inequitable, but our existential reality is identical.
The right deal for Iran
The world will be a more dangerous place unless we write to our elected officials as follows: If the sanctions on Iran will keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons, and from funneling more money to terrorists, then we should keep the sanctions in place. If, however, we need a deal in order to keep Iran from getting such weapons, we must make such deal as effective as possible. We must make the lifting of sanctions contingent upon unlimited access to possible nuclear weapons sites — and this should be in effect for more than 10 years.
Illegal marijuana has a long history in the US
The illegalization of cannabis was achieved by wealthy owners of large companies manipulating the media to induce a hysteria over a manufactured danger to distract and divide the common people, in order to preserve the dynasties or the wealthy. As it ever was, and is.
As a note of interest: In 1942 the United States Department of Agriculture distributed a 14 minute film, Hemp for Victory, urging American farmers to grow hemp to support the war effort. The Japanese had cut off America’s supply of imported hemp, 34,000 feet of which was necessary for every battleship. The government removed all information on this film — it had been a rumour no one could prove it existed until Jack Herer, Carl Packard, and Maria Farrow thought to ask a librarian where people in 1942 would have accessed this information — the card catalogue. The government had not thought to destroy the card catalogue. Everything is connected — reading history helps us to connect the dots.
