The tragic murder of Trayvon Martin has certainly brought the race issue to the forefront. The murder of Trayvon Martin shocked me. But after I started to think about this atrocity, I came to the conclusion that while we can be horrified, sickened, disgusted and outraged, we should not be surprised.
Bigotry and other types of hate that often lead to violence are a part of human beings.
If you think we have made substantial improvements in our lives in dealing with bigotry during the past 60 years, you are right. But most of the improvements relate to making our lives safer, not to adequately teaching us that we need to help and support each other.
In the early 1970’s I took my Army basic training at the Combat Infantry Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana.
ReplyDeleteThere was some kind of racial problem, what it was, I don’t recall. What I do recall is the speech our First Sergeant, Leroy Rhodes, a black NCO, gave the company.
The highlights were these words; “We are not black, we are not white, we are ALL green and we ALL bleed red.”
These words have served me well over the years. Perhaps some of your readers will find them wise too.