I am saddened by the tragic death of George Floyd as well as the current state of our nation. To be honest, when this first happened I was slow to take it in. I avoided watching the video, checking out the news, or seeing the turmoil in the streets of so many U.S. cities. I realized that failing to take time to think about these events is an irresponsible behavior that dismisses the opportunity for growth towards a time where these inexplicable acts no longer occur. Not taking time to understand what happened and what is going on is an action that could make the death of George Floyd, if even possible, more tragic.
So I spent a lot of time thinking. For someone like me, making sense of these acts is difficult. I’m not a black man. I don’t have the personal experience of the struggles that come with being a black man nor the hardships that a black man has to overcome. Nor am I a police officer. I don’t know what it’s like to arrive at a scene and make an arrest. But I am a human and I know that taking a life can only be justified under the most extreme and unique circumstances. The death of George Floyd did NOT fall under those circumstances. This man did not deserve to lose his life, especially at the hands of anyone other than his creator. The hand responsible for death will always have to take responsibility for the action of taking a life. Always.
This isn’t a groundbreaking understanding. But thinking my way to this conclusion is what I think is important. My heart tells me that instead of rioting we need to take time to think. To ask questions. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Why does it continue to happen? There has to be a reason. Whether it is ignorance, fear, or pure hate, if we know why these events occur, maybe we can take steps towards a time when they don’t. After listening to Grace Family Church today, a word stuck out to me that I think we all need to be considering. Empathy.
Empathy is seeking (the keyword is seeking) to understand the feelings and experiences of someone other than yourself. Without empathy, we cannot understand the struggles of others. We simply can’t hear the people who have different life experiences than us. Without empathy, it is impossible to unite. Without unity, there is no peace.
In my case, being someone who does not have the experiences of either party involved in this tragic incident, I believe it is my duty to seek understanding. Through understanding, we can see the world through the eyes of others. We can realize that saying, “I’m not racist” isn’tenough and drastically misses the point. It’s about empathizing and seeing where other people are coming from and what struggles and hardships they have to endure.
Seeking understanding is the birth of empathy. Empathy allows us to connect and understand people from different backgrounds who have different experiences from ours. Through empathy, we can reach an understanding.
With true empathy also comes an opportunity for unity. Unity is togetherness. Unity can be the death of racism or as Pastor Ralph from GFC says, “any -ism.” Unity undoubtedly offers the opportunity for more peace. I would go as far as arguing without empathy and unity, peace is not possible. Or at least not sustainable. We may be able to maintain brief periods of peace without true empathy and unity but it will be peace built on a weak foundation. It will be a peace that is wavering and volatile.
We must hold on to our impulses to react. Impulse is what led to the death of George Floyd. Impulse is creating storms of negative engagement on social media. Impulse is what is leading to the destruction of our cities and the death and injury of more people.
Instead of acting out of impulse, we should use this tragic time to ask questions and seek understanding that will help all of us not only process these occurrences but get to the bottom of them. The questions that can help us find solutions we can put in place to reduce and hopefully one day eliminate these acts from occurring. It starts with empathy. Seek knowledge from individuals who can point out your blind spots. The people who have had different life experiences, the people who these acts hit especially close to home. If we can understand their pain, we can begin to feel the empathy required to unite us and ultimately bring us peace.
What else can we do to honor a man like George Floyd than come together to ensure that it never happens again?
R.I.P. George Floyd