Keeping my big mouth shut...

My political tendencies lean toward the liberal side, I will admit. I hate to label myself that way but, realistically, we live in a world where we feel better about ourselves if we can neatly compartmentalize each other so we know where we stand. So, to make it easy, I will fly the liberal flag. I work in a small place and in this place I work with a lot of other liberals. We get paid very little to do a lot for people most of society would rather not even think about. In the midst of all this there are two very staunch conservatives. How they find themselves here, I cannot begin to understand.

Both are young, Christian and white. Both are married. One has a new family. One just found out she is expecting. Both are active in their churches. I actually like these women very much. They are funny and smart and know their jobs well. But they are also a constant source of aggravation to me when it comes to politics. I find myself having to bite my tongue and shut my mouth.

The recent event in Ferguson, MO have been particularly upsetting for me. I have biracial family members and the unrest and horrible violence is just bad. The circumstances under which Michael Brown was shot happen all too often and the heated and hateful debate of who was right and why he was shot and who or what he was just go on ad nauseum. One of the women in the office is married to a police officer and she is very vocal about how thankless a job that is. I have no doubt about that. I have friends on the force. But I also know that not all cops use their heads in a crisis and not all cops think before they act. I have also known some cops to be incredibly racist. Most are good, decent people who want to help. Some are not.

There are no easy answers. It's not as easy as telling young black men to simply stop arguing with police because, let's be honest, police are often wrong. It's not as easy as telling us all to respect authority because blatant respect is hollow and meaningless. Respect has to be earned. Maybe the trick is to simply stop talking about race at all. Stop describing people by their color. I am a woman, not a white woman. You are a man, not a black man. We are simply human beings with light or dark skin pigment.  Why should that make us so different? Why should that make us hate one another? Why should that make us kill one another?

I hope that in my lifetime mother's can stop teaching their children to fear police officers because their children's skin is dark. I pray it will...