AN ESSAY ON FERGUSON

When I think of the events on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, I am struck by the realization that it takes only a single spark to ignite a firestorm. Yet such a storm can't be ignited without the proper conditions. If the forest catches fire, it is first likely that it has become dry and tinder. A spark upon a moist and nourished landscape is likely to affect little. Lightning can strike the nourished land, and still not ignite a firestorm. The fact that the events of August 9, 2014, have caused a storm of unrest, protest, and violence is merely an indication that the community of Ferguson, and we as a nation, have failed to nourish very important parts of our society. If we fail to water our garden, how can we complain that it does not bear fruit, and when it burns to the ground, how can we blame it for not producing? Events like this in our society call us to examine ourselves, not only as a society but as individuals. The most dangerous nature of prejudice is that it is insidious, unspoken, and implied, rather than outright declared. When we carry within us any thought that another is somehow to be considered less deserving than ourselves, we withhold the nourishment necessary for society to flourish. We may proclaim, “Oh, not me. I’m not prejudiced. I’m not racist, sexist, homophobic, etc.” But, if we are honest with ourselves, we realize that the human ego seeks to elevate itself above others rather than to recognize itself as equal. The illusion of our ego is that we can elevate our sense of worth by putting others down. In fact, the opposite is true. The flip side of the ego is that we may believe we are less deserving than others. We may buy into reinforcement of worthless feelings perpetrated by repeated abuse and belittling. Either way, an imbalance is created that, from time to time, is tipped, forcing us to face that which we quietly ignore in our complacent day-to-day lives. Prejudice is an imbalance. It is a failure to recognize that we cannot deprive others without depriving ourselves. If we fail to water the garden, we deprive ourselves of the fruit that it may bear. If we fail to nourish any part of our society, we deprive ourselves of the gifts that segment of society may offer. Ferguson, Missouri, like other triggering events of our past, is a reminder that we need to become aware of what we are doing to ourselves. So often, it is human nature that we forget. We think it is okay for things to happen to "them" as long as they are not happening to us. Ferguson reminds us that it cannot happen to them without also happening to us. The stark polarization that the unrest in Ferguson has created points quite clearly to an “us versus them” mentality in our country. When prejudice ceases to exist, there will be no “them” or “us.” There can only be “we.” We are human beings. The same red heart beats in everyone’s chest, and the same red blood flows through everyone’s veins. The same longing to be treated with respect, honor, and dignity dwells within every soul. The danger of these types of firestorms in our society is that the backlash can reinforce prejudice and further polarize. It is the nature of prejudice to drive a minority to the extreme and blame them for being there. When a segment of society fights back against insidious betrayal, it is easy to say that they are just proving what we already believed about them. If we do that, we forget that any of us, when backed into a corner, would come out fighting. We expect segments of our society to accept being in that corner. We expect certain groups to accept the roles we assign them, rather than giving them a chance to prove they are more than what our preconceptions say. Prejudice is a generalization. It concludes without proof. It blames the whole for the behavior of a few. An example of this erroneous logic would be that if a Presbyterian cheats me, Presbyterians must be cheats. A few among the protesters take advantage of the situation to pillage and loot; the black community must be made up of thugs. The flip side is that if one police officer shoots an unarmed man, the police engage in brutality and cannot be trusted. We must be very careful that prejudice does not also become a self-fulfilling prophecy, in which our unspoken expectations of another person's behavior lead us to treat them in ways that incite the very behavior we expect. There is no “I told you so!” Prejudice is never the result of what is happening outside of us. Prejudice is the result of what happens inside us. The events in Ferguson, Missouri, have led us to proclaim many falsehoods. This has caused us to jump to conclusions without having the facts, and that is the very nature of prejudice itself. These events are not a call for us to examine and criticize what “they” do. These events are a call to look deep into ourselves. It is the “I” that must be examined. It is within my own heart that change must take place. It takes examining my own soul and questioning my own beliefs to create healing. Judgment cannot heal. I cannot save anyone through condemnation. It is only through deep honesty with myself that any lasting and effective healing can take place. Only deep honesty and examination of my own selfishness can bring me to the realization that I must treat others as I would wish to be treated. When we examine the statement, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all are created equal,” we must conclude that it is not possible to deprive any segment of our society of a true democracy and still say that we are equal. It is not possible to grant rights to some which we withhold from others, for that cannot be equal. It is only in the respect and honor of “freedom for all” that any of us may claim our own true freedom. It is only by honoring everyone's rights that any of us may truly experience what it means to have human rights. The difference between the definitions of privilege and rights is very simple. Rights belong to everyone equally, without question. Privilege is reserved for the select few. For many years, I have asked the question, “What would the world be like if everyone adopted just one simple goal? Relinquish all malicious intent.” Think about that just for a moment. I cannot do this for anyone but myself. I cannot enforce this for anyone but myself. I can only hope that by adopting such a goal, I could one day be a significant enough example that others might realize the value of cherishing the same goal for themselves. It is not an easy thing to achieve, especially since I have been an angry man with a strong sense of entitlement. I have often failed. However, I am grateful to have recognized that my thoughts of entitlement were inherently malicious, for I cannot see myself as deserving at the expense of others without being malicious. Prejudice, in any form, is malicious. Sometimes it is difficult even to recognize the intent of my mind as malicious. It can be so habitual that I don’t even realize that I’m doing it. Yet it is through observing myself that I learned to love. In the forest, it often takes a firestorm to cleanse the ground for new growth. There are types of seeds that do not germinate until burned. May the recent events ignited in Ferguson be the final cleansing of our nation. May the seeds of love grow out of looted stores and burned buildings. May compassion and forgiveness replace dark anguish and tattered grief. May we truly come to understand that we are one people, one nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.