Living accordingly in any society will provide columns and lines or guidelines. Living between columns and lines provides security but it would not be good to live as in a caged society. Then, living between columns and lines or in a caged society can provide security. Security is valuable if there is fear of the unknown. Security is valuable if there is fear of beliefs being challenged when we go beyond the columns and lines…venturing out of the cage. However, you will not build any scope of experience to share if you are not branching out beyond your assigned space. Life’s experiences will challenge your beliefs; thus, you should check your brain at the door, inform your opinions, build some structure and focus on where you are going. This is not a time to be shy in discussing the stench of racism and inequalities; to some, silence is violence. Being unconcerned and avoiding the subject may give some credibility as to why prejudices and in many cases, the rot of racism continues to ruminate.
Communities can organize and approach public servants e.g. law enforcement, health care providers and local representatives with a spirit of community and caring. Conversations can take down walls and open doors for better understanding between perceived opposing forces. One community in Provo Utah did just that.
In the recent escalated racially tense incidents of Missouri and Charlotte, North Carolina, to name a few, some corporations have brought the subject to the forefront supporting conversations on race and race relations. The theme among these corporations is ‘talk about it; don’t sweep it under the rug’. Start ongoing conversations on race and race relations. Be honest with each other. Remember, our nation has a wound and it never healed as a wound should.
Wounds heal from the ‘bottom up’ and ‘sides in’. When a wound heals over the top, the dead tissues underneath begin to fester and soon it erupts; our wounds as a people have erupted into violence and the hate is spewing as infection does from wound. Over the years American has struggled with race relations, which essentially just healed over the top; the real wound was festering below and now we need wide spread antibiotics in order to clean up the infection. Let’s open the wound as painful as it is and clear it out with good healthy conversation which will kill the nastiness festering underneath. By doing this, the wound will heal as a wound should, from the bottom up and sides in. It will be uncomfortable, but it has to be done. Talk about it. Be an advocate for healing as a health professional should be.