Forgiveness

 

We need to heal wounds, not emphasize past wrongs

If one holds a grudge, emphasis is on a negative emotion. When one looks past a personal slight and can offer forgiveness to the person who did you wrong, it will often lead to a positive outcome for both parties. Dwelling on past insults or offences can lead one on a path of distrust, suspicion and cynicism. These emotions will do nothing but fester within the person that perceives the wrongdoing. Our society is evolving and not in a good way. Diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives are heading our nation in the wrong direction. These “values” emphasize our differences rather that work to unite us within our similarities. Subjugating us by the color of our skin is simply a return the days of segregation and furthers the goals of racism.

We are all children of God. We share a common Father. Does that not make us all brothers and sisters? Are we not simply the human race regardless of how we look? Pull away the skin and we are all the same. This movement, rooted in Marxist ideology looks to divide us in order to create an upheaval meant to lead to a reinventing of our society. In other words, a fundamental transformation of this nation. This embrace of diversity, inclusion and equity pit those perceived to be oppressed against those perceived to be the oppressors. In other words, pitting us against each other. This divisive ideology rejects forgiveness and reinforces the ideas of retribution, retaliation and revenge. How this can be a positive for society eludes me. Whether or not you are Christian, as a society, we should be able to agree that in order to live in harmony with one another we need to learn to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Diversity is defined as, a set of conscious practices that involve: Understanding and appreciating interdependence of humanity, cultures and the natural environment. Practicing mutual respect for qualities and experiences different than our own. Understanding that diversity includes not only ways of being, but also ways of knowing. Building alliances across differences so that we can work together to eradicate all forms of discrimination. Excerpted from Queensborough Community College/CUNY. Sounds like this is a good path to unite, until you read the sentence that I omitted. Recognizing that personal, cultural and institutionalized discrimination creates and sustains privileges for some while creating and sustaining disadvantages for others. This is what the purveyors of this divisiveness concentrate on. You are privileged because of your skin color and if you are a person of a certain color, you should be personally affronted by the fact that you are being held down by the “Man”.

We all have experienced different cultures. We have often not practiced mutual respect for the qualities of those differences. We need to build alliances to eliminate racism and inequality. We need to understand those differences and treat each other with respect and dignity. That is how a civil society thrives. How a civil society dies is when we hold grudges and vilify others for past grievances, real or perceived. As we continue to acquiesce to this divisive ideology and incorporate it into acceptable society, we are witnessing, firsthand, the death throes of our society and nation. And most of us sit back and say nothing. When you are old, you can tell your grandchildren how this nation was once free.

Inclusion is referred to how diversity is leveraged to create a fair, equitable, healthy and high performing organization or community where all individuals are respected, feel engaged and motivated and their contributions toward meeting organizational or societal goals are valued. Excerpted from Austin Community College research guide. Sounds great. Again, everyone contributes, everyone is respected, and everyone’s contributions are valued. But, that word equity instead of equality stands out. Why has equity replaced equality? Why is equity of outcome more valued than equality of opportunity? These words seem so similar, yet their meanings are far different.

Equity refers to fairness and justice and is distinguished from equality: Whereas equality means providing the same to all, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to imbalances. The process is ongoing, requiring us to identify and overcome intentional and unintentional barriers arising from bias or systemic structures. Excerpted from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. President Barack Obama said in 2014, at the College opportunity Summit, “The premise that we’re all created equal is the opening line in our American story. And we don’t promise equal outcomes; we’ve strived to deliver equal opportunity – the idea that success does not depend on being born into wealth or privilege, it depends on effort and merit. You can be born into nothing and work your way into something extraordinary. There was not much common ground with our former President and I, but this speech was extraordinary and right on point.

If we fail to recognize the evil that exists is this wonderfully sounding ideology and continue to mainstream these ideas, our nation will definitely be fundamentally transformed into something few of us would want. The opportunity to push back and defend your liberties and freedom and prevent this divisive ideology from infecting all aspects of our lives is waning. Want to reminisce about the good old days when freedom reigned in American in your old age, or do you wish to maintain this shining light of freedom on the hill? What are you going to do about it, remain silent or push back? The choice is yours. Make a difference or stand by idly as we fall.