Violence Separates Us

My senior minister just now pointed out and in toward Washington aware of this extraordinary Time. Violence separates us from the ordinary every time, she speaks from her own experience. I quickly agree. Then, notice ways I do not agree if violence denotes daily feelings of detonating violation. Violence does not separate military time from ordinary civilian time; we call that chronic stress disorder, mental problems, spiritual issues, weaponized opposition. Violence does not separate poor people marginalized people ignored, neglected, and abused species, animals, trees, rivers, oceans, soil, air, Earth, from ordinary Business As Usual Time. She reminds me of two opposing experiences in my own life, white adult male privilege, where violence is what happens to other people, and gay male child, all growed up in a homo-hate environment where ordinary violence was what I deserved if I were caught being me. We want violence to be the exception to cooperative economics, nonviolent communication, restorative EarthJustice politics, empowerment, enlightening experiences of multicultural healthy wealth for all EarthCreatures and living ecosystems. Still, on this dark night it feels hard to painfully remember that violence is more exceptional to ordinary experience for some Haves as compared with HaveNots.