Our granddaughter who is thirteen came home from school yesterday complaining about being unfairly treated by one of her teachers. After some further conversation it was evident that the teacher was using an exercise to favour some students over others. This was subtly highlighting the nature of powerlessness and prejudice in society. A topical teaching amid the current painful and confusing times surrounding the death of black American George Floyd.
George Floyd was the straw on a camel’s back that has carried the load of injustice and lies.
Caroline Myss – Author
To her it was unfair and unjust that the teacher had played sides. Her teenage analysis had not been able to look past the surface to the deeper lesson on inequality below. As she chatted with us, her mother and grandmother, we were able to share a larger context on the issue. How there are those in life who have privilege and those who struggle to find their place in this world. Although we may have been created equal, life doesn’t necessarily give each of us equal opportunity, resources, or voice.
Something I took away from that intergenerational conversation is that my years of experiencing life gave a richer perspective to our conversation. Yet as an elder adult I am feeling the energy of a total collective imbalance that has occurred in this instant. There are many questions and understandings that I am grappling with right now.
As I watch the news, tears well as I hear the family of George Floyd plea for peaceful protest amongst the violence and property destruction perpetrated by a minority. Here is a man who had a family, a daughter who will not have her father for the important guidance and occasions in her life. The human story thankfully is being told amongst the media saturation.
We also see police officers kneeling in solidarity with the protesters. They know they are as stereotyped as much as the black American’s who feel rage and anger at this act of inhumanity. The voice we are not hearing is that of the police officer who took George Floyd’s life. Where was his mindset in that instant that he could not listen to the pleas of those around him to stop in that moment? What seems small in proportion to the massive outcry in response was perhaps the moment of shocking reality we needed to witness as humanity.
How do we start to move forward from this pivotal moment in time? –
- We need to seek a larger perspective on what has occurred. To ask the questions, to search the history of inequality that plagues our cultural and gender divide. Why is it so important to have the upper hand in a power struggle? Where we see it in the world it has led to great divides and injustice between fellow human beings. This imbalance needs to be examined and addressed.
- Individually, we need reflection. Whether it is through prayer, meditation, or just pure appreciation of the world around us. We need to be more open to the feminine qualities within all of us. To focus on our own well being and nurturing that of others. To revert to the basic needs of love, home, and family. Ensuring these are accessible to all.
- The change will come from all generations working together. To create within our own realms of influence critical thinking around inequality. Examining what language, beliefs and actions allow this to continue in our communities and beyond.
More than ever we need to come together across our generations. We cannot afford to sit in relative comfort, security and affluence when right before our eyes injustice happens. This brief catalyst may provide the hope for transforming our world. We are truly in this together.