Seeking to Understand

When I was 8 years old, the Summer Olympic Games were held in Mexico City.  I clearly remember when Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their gloved hands in what was referred to as a "Black Power Salute" on the podium when receiving their Gold and Bronze medals.

My parents were outraged, and very vocal about it.  They thought the gesture was very disrespectful.   I remember the event clearly because it is the first time I remember thinking my parents were very wrong about something.   I finally had to speak up, and being eight, I cried as I tried to defend Tommie and John.   I remember telling my parents that they had no idea what these young men had endured so far in their lives.   I remember saying that we couldn't know their struggles, so had no right to judge their actions.

I felt strongly that they earned their position on the podium, and if they wanted to use that podium to alert the world to the problems with race, equality and human rights in the United States, they could do that.  (The argument was much less articulate, I'm sure, seeing as I was eight, but I remember the emotions clearly.)

I remember my dad telling me that when I was older I would understand why what Tommie Smith and John Carlos did was wrong.   I had great parents, and they didn't get angry with me or discipline me for very emotionally disagreeing with them, they just tried to explain why they felt the way they did, and how with more life experience and perspective, I could expect to see the world differently.

Well, here I am, at 55, and I still think that Tommie Smith and John Carlos had every right to make the silent protest that they made.   And I wonder if we had talked honestly and openly about the issues of race, equality and human rights in 1968 if we would be in the same sad place we are in in 2015.

Institutionalized racism is a problem in this country.  Economic inequity is a problem in this country.  For-profit prisons are a problem in this country.  Anger is a problem in this country.

I am continually astounded by how difficult it is for many people to acknowledge someone else's struggle.  It seems to me we are all struggling with one thing or another.

Some of us have fewer struggles.  Some have greater struggles.  But we are all struggling.

For me to acknowledge the size of the mountain you have to climb to be successful does nothing to increase or diminish the size of the mountain I have to climb.

You would think those with smaller mountains would feel fortunate, and want to bestow some of their good fortune on those who have larger mountains.

Instead, it seems that those more fortunate are like children with a bag of candy, screaming, "Mine! Mine! I don't want to share!"

One planet, one human race, one lifetime to make an impact.

Why is it so hard to seek to understand?

Today, if you read this blog, please do something for me.   Try to see someone else's struggle for what it is.   Don't compare their struggle to your struggle or to anyone else's struggle.  Try to accept that one other person on this planet needs your compassion and support.

I honestly believe if every person started with seeing one other person's struggle as valid, that then every person could see one more person's struggle, and one more person's struggle, until each person making the choice to see could see we are all struggling.

Love and compassion are multipliers.   The more you love, the more love you receive.  The more compassion you give the more compassion you receive.  The more support you give the more support you receive.

Start by making your world a better place with love and compassion.

If enough of us make that choice, the world will be a better place.