Indifference
Perhaps like me, you have heard the expression, "I don't know what it is like to be you". These are words from one mortal to another mortal; not to an insect, a wildebeest, crocodile, or rattle snake. When I hear those words, I understand them well, but there is something about them that is rather unaccepting to me. Though such words can be applied to a myriad of subjects, and I might add that they are said with sincerity.
Yet, when I hear them, brain bells begin to ring and neon
lights begin to flash inside of me. And in response to the well-meaning statement I ask, "Is being human like you
not enough?"
Invariably, I have most often heard them in reference to race. Without doubt, we all have come from the same breath of God and from His skilled and Masterful hands. In many aspects, we are different, but essentially, we aspire to and thirst after the same things. And since we readily acknowledge what we all are hungry for, does it not appear dis ingenuine to say, "I don't know what it is like to be you, to be Black, to be White, To be Hispanic, to be Asian, to be Native American, or any number of ethnicities. Being human or because we all are human should be our very first line of identify and not a wall to climb or line of demarcation.
With dedication and a sense of purpose, I have pounced the path of least resistance and accomplished little, feeling unfulfilled. I have also pounded the pavement of heavy resistance and adversity, but experienced gain, growth, and fulfillment. The adage, No pain, no gain, comes to mind.
If I have been blessed with sight and you are blind, I know exactly what you are missing. Or if you are deaf, I hear the sounds that you cannot. Or if you have leprosy, I feel the pain that you cannot, and I sense and feel deeply the measure of loss in your life. These are three essential sensory faculties with which we are associated. These are the connectors with which we interact, and when any of these is denied or withheld for any reason, there is no denying that we know what it is like, because we are made of the same God created material.
So, as I analyze the notion or the plea of ignorance for which I can be most forgiving, I discern far less ignorance, but far more indifference. How often have I entered 'a freeze zone', and asked, "Who am I, and what can I do about it?". By the same token, I have also sought forgiveness for my indifference and discovered that indeed, there was something that I could do. Perhaps therein lies the impenetrable wall and the line of demarcation. I might add that perhaps there are various levels of indifference; one level that resides in the 'I don't care zone'; and the other level lies in the, 'I do sincerely care, but fear societal reprisals'. So, are we ignorant or indifferent? It could be that I am wrong, but I think that is the question.
092820PS
Copyright © Curtis Johnson | Year Posted 2021
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