When a traumatizing life-changing event occurs, somehow we try to find a way that best expresses our emotion about that event. Some of us talk it out with friends, family members, counselors or put it in writing. The one thing I think suffocates us, is if we try to hold those emotions in too long and do not express them, even in its subtlest state.
Now that the shock and disbelief about the Mother Emanuel AME Church massacre that occurred in my hometown of Charleston, South Carolina has painfully settled in, it remains a vivid reminder of the horrifying aftermath this type of terroristic pain once again inflicted on innocent people. When I listened to all of the church bells toll at the same time on Sunday morning, it reminded me of the verses included in our national song “My Country, Tis of Thee.” This is one of the songs we used to sing growing up when I was in elementary school and a song that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used a portion of as a refrain near the end of his famous I Have a Dream speech: “Let Freedom Ring!” My Country, Tis of Thee was originally written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831. Additional verses were later added by various people like Henry van Dyke and abolitionist verses by A. G. Duncan in 1843. If you never read or sang these verses, please be sure to check them out.
People are anxious, angry and aggravated. We have the right to be angry when this type of violence happens to innocent individuals, whether it is in a church (Mother Emanuel AME or the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing), schools (Sandy Hook Elementary or Columbine High Schools), a theater (Century 16 theaters in Aurora, Colorado), college campuses (Virginia Tech Shooting or SC State/Claflin College Orangeburg Massacre), restaurants (San Ysidro McDonald's massacre or Luby's mass shooting), a military base (Ft. Hood massacre) or innocent victims from a drive by shooting. Anger is a very normal and realistic emotion. Anger however, is not an easy thing to set aside, and to let bygones to be bygones. Sadly for many individuals, forgiveness is easier “said” than done. Healthy anger gives you the opportunity to express just how frustrated and hurt you are about the systemic evil and social perils that lurks among us, without allowing it to destroy our spirit, as long as we do not allow that anger to linger too long.
I am not ignorant to the fact that we are not immune from the ugly horrors of evil, hatred, injustice, deception, downright nastiness and blatant abuse. No matter where we live, how much money we have, your educational achievements, accolades or how clever we may be, such attacks did not just pop up. It occurs daily and has been throughout history in some very familiar places and institutions all around us. I am also very much aware of the fact that more individuals than we can imagine champion division, destruction and hatred. Time and time again the ugly face of evil rises to let us know that it is a very real entity in our lives, and refuses to leave voluntarily. Attacks on churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship are nothing new. Yet, somehow we can’t personally get a grip on the horrific impact and magnitude this type of devastation brings to our spirit and way of life, until it hits home.
It amazes me how I listen to some sound bites and read reports of comments made by seemingly intelligent individuals in powerful positions, who try to discount the events that occurred in Charleston, by making light of the situation. I don’t think they actually “thought” before they spoke. They are allowing their high-level ignorance to show, because if you have never been affected by something so heinous as a mass murder, regardless of location, where your mother, father, spouse or child were among the victims, you cannot and should not compel yourself to discount or make light of such a diabolical tragedy. On the other hand, there are those who seem to think their silence and doing nothing to rock the boat are admirable attributes. I’m still shaking my head on that type of cowardice. I am by no means advocating for retaliation, rioting or unrest, because that only makes us lower our standards below theirs and creates greater havoc. Yet, if there is a clear case of self-defense, then I can understand how you have to slip into the survival mode of protection.
We can have a dialogue about this type of diabolical entity all day long, but unless we actually do something about it, instead of curtailing around the critical issues, then that act alone is like saying the lives of those who perished by the bullet is in vain. I am still troubled by the fact that such violent attacks are becoming all too familiar in our country. While I am an optimist, I am also a realist. We want our world to be nice and perfect, all wrapped up in a pretty package. Since Biblical times, anarchy has existed in society, but what we witness in our day and time is like evil on steroids and it will hit time and time again to wreak greater havoc and sorrow. I wonder what our global enemies think about how divided we are as a nation over ludicrous issues, inequality, injustices and racism that continues only 51 years after the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? I can imagine them saying “Divided they stand, the easier they fall. Let them continue to fight amongst themselves and kill each other. They are only making it easier for us to destroy them all.” Sometimes our focus can be on the idiosyncrasies of ignorance and wayward activities for so long, that nothing productive gets done when and as it should. That however, is another story.
While I do not discount the fact that we have made some remarkable strides in our communities and country on various economic, racial, social and gender levels, we still have a long way to go in order to reach the echelon of change we truly need to be. The missing component in all of this is love. When I reflect on Dionne Warwick’s classic hit from 1967, What the World Needs Now Is Love, that song is one of many containing a diehard message I wish more people would embrace.
We are affected by the aftershocks, setbacks and aftermaths of the good, bad and ugly, whether we like it or not. Evil is a factor of life that is going to exist and bounce from spirit to spirit to all who will welcome it. We are going to have to pierce these negative and sinister threats in the heart, so they will die and we can live. We are going to have to stop repeating the same types of mistakes and atrocities of the past that continue to cripple us more and more. We must refuse to perish as fools, never learning, while sabotaging our future. As I hold on to my faith and trust in God, even if I don’t understand the course of all things, I still remain optimistic and hopeful. Although the hurt remains, the healing continues in my hometown of Charleston. Knowing we won’t forget, we shall persevere and rise above the weapons of hate.
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