Humankind. Be Both.

Hello All,

My heart has been heavy for a while. The impact of the Coronavirus on individuals and our society (in fact, the entire world) has been so huge and devastating. I really didn’t think my heart could get any heavier – but it has. The senseless death of George Floyd and the aftermath have been consuming my thoughts. How can we make this world better? How do we change the trajectory of this event (one of many, unfortunately) so that it never happens again? How do we even get started?

As usual, I sought solace from the words of others. I was trying to find answers. I read “Humankind. Be both.” (On Facebook, of course!) Three simple words – a powerful message. That quote is actually the name of a company created by Michelle Jezycki. Her company supports “Feed and Read” programs for the underserved. She stated that it serves as a “gentle reminder we are more alike than we are different.”

I went to the readings of Desmond Tutu. “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” A reminder that we are all in this together! And he also said “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s these little bits of good put together that overwhelms the world.” A push that we can make a difference one good action at a time.

I also looked to Mahatma Gandhi – “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the entire ocean does not become dirty.” This quote was important to me to look at all of the positive things that have come out of these events – people coming together in peaceful protests, sheriffs joining hands and hearts with the protestors to lead the way, simple hugs, important conversations. The number of good people significantly outweigh the numbers that are shown on television.

Mother Teresa said “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” And an author unknown stated “Humanity should be our race. Love should be our religion.” We must start from a position of love and acceptance, or we will never succeed.

And I listened to and then read the statements of two of our former presidents – George Bush and Barack Obama. One white – one black. One Republican – one Democrat. Two presidents with disparate backgrounds and approaches – but who I respect for their incredible humanity.

President Bush’s statement included the following: “The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving.” “This will require a consistent, courageous and creative effort. We serve our neighbors best when we try to understand their experience. We love our neighbors as ourselves when we treat them as equals in both protection and compassion. There is a better way – the way of empathy and shared commitment, and bold action, and a peace rooted in justice. I am confident that together America will choose the better way.”

President Obama’s statement stated: “This shouldn’t be the ‘normal’ in 2020 America. It can’t be ‘normal’. If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must do better.” And he ends with: “But it falls on us, regardless of race or station – including the majority of men and women in law enforcement who take pride in their tough job the right way, every day – to work together to create a new ‘normal’ in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts.”

We must come together as a society to begin to solve this. I say “begin” because there is a lot of work before us. There are issues with our educational systems that must be fixed so that every person has a firm foundation and knowledge base – our criminal justice system must be fixed where racial inequities and treatment are huge – and in a previous Phyl Phacts I noted that healthcare must be fixed due to disparities in access and treatment, that have definitely been highlighted with this pandemic.

So let’s get started – let the critical work begin. Vote. Volunteer. Raise your Voice. Get inVolved – task forces, committees, on many levels (local, state, national). We can make an impact. We have to make an impact. We have to make this happen.

Phyl