Simply removing the Confederate flag without ameliorating the deep seated passion (a.k.a. hatred) embraced by some would be little more than placing a bandage on a gaping wound.
I have pondered long & hard over not only this recent tragedy but also on the overall race situation in our Country. The feelings it evokes in me are akin to those I experienced after 9/11. Deepak Chopra, a Harvard educated physician, wrote an editorial in the NY Times noting the education of children around the world is a better answer to combat terrorism than war.
In the heat of that moment, as the WTC ruins were still smoldering and almost 3,000 funerals were being planned, I was incensed at this pulled-punch solution to an attack on our soil. How could he take this position? But in retrospect, I realize he was correct. More immediate measures were also needed but the good doctor's idea was valid. Change the heart, change the person. Such a simple concept; such a difficult challenge.
If we don't change, if we continue to let the tentacles of hatred, bigotry and bias choke love and understanding, compassion and love out of our lives, any well meant physical manifestations aimed at stemming prejudice are mere window dressing on a house with no roof.
I am only one voice, but I will be silent no more .As Mohammed Ali once said, "It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen."
Go, in peace, and be part of the solution, not the problem.
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