I’m not sure I will even publish this

I’m appalled at what is happening in America. I’m appalled that a man who swore to protect murdered another man by negligence. I’m appalled that this is a polarized subject. I’m appalled that racism exists in 2020 America. I’m appalled that so many are so intolerant to civil protests in our cities. I’m appalled that so many of these civil protests turned into violent criminal actions. I’m appalled that small business owners and corporate stores alike are being vanadalized and burglarlized. I’m appalled that the death of an American man, George Floyd, has thrown gasoline onto an already turbulent blaze.

These are my stream of consciousness thoughts as I reflect on the current situation in America. For a good part of my adult life, we have been polarized as Americans. We have been conditioned that if another person thinks or acts differently than I, then I must hate that person. What a sad line of thinking for one of the greatest times to be alive in society. What has made this country great was the ability to have diverse thought and discourse in our society without allowing it to drive a wedge in the integrity of our Union. Now there are certainly exceptions to this rule throughout history (Civil War, Civil Rights Movement)… but liberty prevailed in each of these situations.

I am a resident of Rural America. The racial compositon of my community (Cuba, MO) is 95.95% white. The only time I left home was for 5 years in college where I went to a school where I was also part of the majority. I’ve never experienced racism in my life. I have zero perspective on this major issue in America. I believe this is a great time for others like me in America to not take sides and to listen. Listen to the concerns of all of those around us what is going on. If we listen, we can find empathy in each persons situation. Stopping and listening is the only way we are going to come together as a country.