rounding third, headed home...

anyone paying attention to content i produce online (i know that's fewer of you these days, and that's ok) is already aware i took in the movie "42" yesterday afternoon.  upon giving a very brief summation of my initial feelings, i mentioned there was more to come.  this, in fact, is the addendum to which i was referring.  albeit in light of today's horrific incident in boston, we may take a decidedly sharp turn in a more general direction.

i recall the african american history class i took in my junior year of college.  at the time, honestly the only important events i was aware of were the ones you couldn't miss (in light of mass media coverage) and stories told by my black friends, of whom were thankfully plenty.  that said, i struggled mightily through the greater majority of this course.  in typical bold fashion, i confess it didn't seem to matter as much to me as i felt it should (or could), in part because most the people around me weren't directly affected.  this is to say, our privilege(s) afforded us a comfort others didn't enjoy, and as such we found ourselves insulated from most of the pain and torment.  certainly can't say the same for a select few of my closest friends.  ok, returning to the backstory... my interest that had all but initially waned in light of my own ignorance, in what appeared to happen very rapidly, became fixated on the subject (or focus, if you will) of our textbook's next chapter - a one jack roosevelt robinson.

given most the natural world knows his story by now (at least in part), i'll shift focus entirely to its impact on me, then and today.

jackie stood up for many things, but none more important than equal opportunity to play the game he loved, baseball.  if you drill right into the heart of the matter, his legacy was (if not entirely, certainly the greater majority) about overcoming racism in professional sport, but ultimately the world at large.  this breakthrough began with his own passion for the game of baseball, but as we have history on our side should we choose to study it, the story doesn't end there.  minorities have been accepted and embraced in several (albeit not all) competitive arenas, which makes this a story still being written.  this, in and of itself, is well worth the accolades for which it/he receives, although the manner in which jackie lived his life off the field, by all accounts of the people closest to him, mirrors the integrity he showed while donning the now infamous heavy cotton brooklyn dodgers uniform.

if we're to dial back one level, and this is where i'll truly be able to apply the impact of this man on more "general" terms, jackie was determined to see the end of discrimination, not exclusively based on race or ethnicity.  today, in so far as we've been able to enjoy a much more "free" culture in most parts of our world, we must not rest.  i walked out of that theater yesterday imagining what it would have been like to immerse myself into the crowd gathering in the foyer and common areas, forming single file "separate" lines to use the facilities.  it's not something i can relate to, obviously, but there's still a burning fire in my gut that's almost instantly felt at the thought of seeing "colored" above any entrance, regardless of where it leads.  of course, the same holds true for "white" or "red" or well, the possibilities are somewhat endless.  the point being, we are one people.  with each passing day we have a responsibility to realize this truth, or shame it with our continued hatred and belligerence.  please notice i acknowledge my own involvement here, as this author has no intention of pointing fingers that don't reflect his own shortcomings, too.  we're overdue for accountability, and quite frankly it's so much easier for matters to get worse before any hope of them improving, unless of course we divide the line between apathy and action, and intentionally subscribe and perpetuate the latter.

hear me very clearly, action does not equate to violence, nor should it.  ever.  violence is often a direct byproduct of hatred and we as a people need to set a better precedent that we're not going to tolerate pain inflicted on our fellow man/woman.  to those saying (and unfortunately i've heard this several times) "at least it's not infighting" and we can very precisely locate and eliminate the source.  let's not forget, we are one nation.  at present, we're not doing ourselves justice in a lot of cases, but just because somebody resides in a third world country doesn't make them the "enemy."  there will naturally be terror in this world.  no matter what ideology, liturgy, faith, or vocation to which you subscribe, that will unfortunately remain the case.  this does not, however, mean we vacate the pursuit of justice.  matters in direct violation of our nation's code of ethics should be dealt with swiftly and accurately.

in some ways this may appear too great an obstacle to overcome, or a task for which we lack significant resources.  in part, this may be true, but again we gain no ground by standing idle.  even small steps eventually can lead to where you/we aspire to be, it just may take more time.  time is what many of us have so long as you're not talking about plans designed to waste it, of which there are unfortunately too many.  this is where i believe it becomes each of our individual responsibility to shift the paradigm and rewrite history, no different than our late friend jackie robinson achieved in his prime.  liken this battle to whatever text may derive the most motivation for you, whether that be something traditional like david versus goliath, or another more modern day heroic tale where the odds were completely against the protagonist yet they found a way, which likely began with belief in themselves.

each of us has a simple task (at least on paper, but it takes daily effort) - be kind, considerate, accepting, forgiving, compassionate, loyal, and so on... and this to me can be explained with one word: love

this is where it begins, and that's no different than any situation for which i've ever faced in life.  in some form or another, it always (yes, every time) amounts to emotions, whether a call or a response, associated with love, and the desire to be/do good.

this is not to say, again, we won't have terrible things happen to the place we or somebody else may call home.  no, that will continue.  it is, however, acknowledging we have a direct opportunity to effect change in a very positive light, simply by doing what we know we're capable of on a regular basis - loving ourselves enough to resonate that very love to others, and so on and so forth.  i, personally, have much work to do in this regard.

jackie robinson did incredible things physically but i'm even more impressed by what he overcame prior to all the records he broke in the game of baseball.  jackie possessed a strength that defined him as a steadfast confidant for all he believed to be right and just, and we should do the same.  many, certainly including myself, fall short of this on a daily basis because we're too preoccupied with finding faults/flaws or other oddities within others, or ourselves, rather than focusing on the good that comes from inclusion and appreciation for differences.

today, our nation is hung up on some rather trivial matters (in my humble opinion).  most recently we've heard a great deal from the lgbt camp about same sex marriage, which certainly is a hot topic but not a new one.  not that i will address that issue at length here because it's not my intention, but i will say this.  it's a shame we're still talking about this, which is to say, this legislation should be discarded and ALL people should be given equal rights to give/receive love.  that's my verdict, and if it's not yours, i respect that.  but rather than dissect this topic, i'll digress.  this, of course, is only one example of too many to count... whether that's women's rights and how the government seems to feel they can have their way with them whenever they so choose (also, by the way, terribly wrong and shameful), or gun control, or capital punishment, or whatever issue may be stealing the headlines these days... the point is, they're less about bringing people together and more to do with dividing.  don't even get me started on bipartisan politics, as we don't have enough time in this day to properly cover how outdated, irrelevant, and incompetent that whole system has turned out to be.

my heart is with those who are affected by this tragedy in boston today.  these feelings have resided in me for at least 24 hours prior to this unfortunate event, but it makes sense to pay proper respects to those innocent people.  hopefully the perpetrator is found and brought to justice immediately.

as some of my posts have a tendency to do because they're seldom proofread, this plane took a few loops before it landed, and it's up to you to decide whether it found solid ground.  what i can tell you is this, i love each and every one of you, and i will do my part to try and show/give that love daily.  the challenge is for each of us to take up this very same task at hand, regardless of how open or affectionate you might normally be.  i respect not everybody possesses a bubbling brook of a heart like mine, or that you might feel compelled or welcome sharing yours if you should.  but in some form or another, it's on us.  i mean, it really is our decision, not one that should be made for us.

try and refrain from quick judgment, even if it's playful.  that's not to say we shouldn't throw around some witty banter at each others' expense every now and again because that's too entertaining to omit entirely, it's just we should be more mindful of the impact our words/actions might have.  believe me, i'm looking hardest at myself on this one.  what lives within my mouth has proven itself to be potentially lethal, and i owe it to myself (and you) to better manage this.  work on becoming more open to things outside your comfort zone.  should you have extreme loyalty to a position, stand tall and proud, but don't do so while considering those who may not agree with you as inferior or less worthy.  see the dissension as difference, and learn to respect, embrace, and potentially even grow from others' viewpoints.

let's face it, there's no shortage of ammunition for which we could use to potentially harm (metaphorically speaking).  but what do we truly gain by choosing to wield those weapons?

in love,
cw