Principle #6 – Move Into ACTION!
Today, we’re facing many challenges in our lives. Some great, some not so much. We are keeping ourselves and others healthy during our global pandemic, the school year is coming to a close, our high school and college seniors are graduating, and we have civil unrest. Wow!
I’m proud of our seniors and their accomplishments during these unprecedented times. And I have hope that they will move us to a world filled with acceptance, compassion, and love. A new world with understanding leadership, unity, and hope for future generations. I heard this song the other day by Jason Mraz, Have it All. It made me think of the seniors as they embark on their future endeavors.
“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A. A. Milne
My grandson and I learned a lot about inequality and injustice during our homeschooling. He had a unit in Language Arts called Fighting for a Cause. The unit taught us about Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Jackie Robinson, just to name a few, and their courage to fight for equal rights. These three individuals made the biggest impact on my 8-year-old grandson. It’s unbelievable to me that we still don’t have equality for people of color!
It made him sad and angry that African Americans were, and still are, treated badly. He wanted to go and punch people. We discussed that punching people is not the way to protest. We talked about how to use our voice in peaceful ways to make a difference and to speak up if we see someone being disrespected.
It’s so important for us to teach our children about injustices in our society. And it’s equally important to teach peaceful ways of making a difference. When there’s violence, it overshadows the message of inequality of family, friends, and fellow citizens of color.
“We live in an age in which the fundamental principles to which we subscribe – liberty, equality, and justice for all – are encountering extraordinary challenges, … But it is also an age in which we can join hands with others who hold to those principles and face similar challenges.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Listening, understanding, and being united will make a difference. Having love and acceptance of everyone is how we are going to make change happen. Our country gives us the liberty of free speech. Let’s have peaceful protests and demand change for everyone to be treated fairly and with dignity. I am so encouraged to see police officers joining in these peaceful protests. Let’s step up and spread love and compassion, so we may have justice and equality for all.
There’s hope for a change of unfair treatment. There’s hope and pride for our seniors as they are graduating and bringing their values and new ideas to the world. And there’s hope that our scientists will find a vaccine so all of humanity will be healthy again. That’s a lot of hope! We are American citizens, and we are resilient. So, step up and make your voice heard for positive change. I’m convinced that we will have a better and brighter future for our country.
Freedom is possible!
Love,
Deb