Spiritual Sundays

Why can’t we all just get along?

Here we are in 2009 with a black president; you’d think that racism would be a thing of the past. Instead, Obama’s presidency seems to be stressing out many, and the stereotyping egos can no longer be silenced.

Once, in fifth grade, a boy said to me, “The bigger your lips are, the dumber you are. That’s why black people are stupid.” It was a strange thing to hear from a fellow honors classmate, but it did not make me feel bad at all. After all, I had all Es on my report card without studying or turning in homework. (Let me clarify; Es in Texas stood for "excellent.") I wondered what spurred on this ... challenged comment. He’d never said anything derogatory before. More importantly, where did he get his information? Surely there was not an adult telling him these lies to help him learn to hate more effectively. Besides, my lips are beautiful, but they are not big, and I aced all of my tests. His reasoning just didn’t make sense to me.

We sparred with words for a few minutes, but I quickly realized that people cannot be talked out of prejudices. There is insecurity inside that makes them feel the need to hold on to beliefs of superiority. It is not always the insecurity of intelligence or job security; sometimes it is the insecurity that you will disappoint your loved ones that you hold in the highest regard.

Regardless of the motives for racist views, I’ve learned that you should not throw the baby out with the bath water. In other words, don’t think that a person is all bad because they have some hurtful and ignorant beliefs. If you can accept others unconditionally, you’ll make it easier for others to accept you. You know the saying “you reap what you sow." So, let’s fight ignorance with education and say a little prayer for those who would like to hold on to false doctrine.