One Human Family

A group of neighbors walking to show solidarity and to reaffirm the spirit of friendliness on a recent warm Fall afternoon gave me reason to smile and to appreciate the fact that we are not alone in this mess. The pandemic is bad enough. More than 214,000 dead and over 7.7 million infected with the COVID virus in this country. Worldwide – over a million have perished and 37 million infected. People and businesses are severely stressed and getting impatient for the light at the end of this very dark tunnel.

Another big worry is the American elections. Add to that, news of a kidnapping attempt on our very capable Governor by members of a Michigan militia group. A plan to attack law enforcement and to sow discord all round. There are two or three dozen such militia groups here in this state and 300 in the rest of the country.

So much has unraveled in these last few years and laid bare the foundations we consider sacrosanct such as our democracy. Democracy is a messy system, but it is the one that will once again help us to unite and build a stronger and more equal and just country. Rebuilding will be a long process. We have all seen how racism is still alive and well in this country but now it is being filmed in real time. That point was made in a mask that my friend Consuelo was wearing at the unity walk we took. Over two and a half centuries and the tentacles of slavery are still manipulating us in this United States.

Our walk started out with the organizers – Ned and Jesslyn, urging us to pick a flower from two large vases that they set up in their driveway. There is a saying that goes “A lot of different flowers make a bouquet.” A very apt thought considering so many of the neighbors came from different backgrounds and circumstances. With a bloom in hand, we walked masked, and social distanced to a nearby spot – a cemetery actually, and a beautiful one at that, to gather under a yellow Locust tree to share uplifting words and to listen to a short flute recital. I read these words from South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and political leader Nelson Mandela: “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than it’s opposite.”

Peace to all.