I am traveling taking AJ to camp. Sitting in a Kansas City hotel. All that’s on TV is corona and protests. I still wonder why there aren’t more protests around the stay at home orders but I find myself in a different place as it relates to the protests around Mr. Floyd.
Lots of people are criticizing the violence. I get it. Violence isn’t the answer, of course.
But there’s a part of it I understand.
Rage = trauma + unmet needs. Basically anger that has reached an extreme such that it comes out uncontrollably.
I understand that.
When someone feels wronged and the need to have that anger resolved goes unmet…rage can happen. These people protesting have anger and if they feel like they are not being heard or are at risk of trauma…I can understand the rage. Understanding and agreeing are different. I don’t agree in the violent expression of rage, but I do understand it. Of course there are some violent folks that aren’t really angry about Mr. Floyd, they just found their excuse. Much like exists for all Tyranny…they found their excuse. Tyranny ALWAYS has an excuse.
But many are truly outraged.
I understand that. I have anger. About various things. But for this blog it’s about my chest pain. About my senior daughter and her senior year getting blown up. About my friends losing their businesses to rich people and governors telling us to stay home. Anger.
Acknowledgement / Anger / Acceptance / Forgiveness / Purpose
But there are some things that can’t be accepted. They have to be resolved.
The question is…what are the things that simply cannot be accepted. The law defines a lot of those things. You break the law (commit a wrong) and the resolution is restitution. Some wrongs you pay a fine like a parking ticket. Other wrongs require jail time. I committed some bad wrongs when I was a kid. Felonies. Forgery. Theft. I was a bad kid. I got caught and had to pay for the wrongs. Restitution.
But outside the laws…the answer is different for everyone. Clearly the death of Mr. Floyd is something that cannot be accepted for a lot of people. There has to be resolution. Restitution.
For me…I’ve realized something. The answer to that question for me is simple. EVERY wrong is unacceptable. I learned when I was 12 that if I allowed a wrong to happen…really bad things would happen. So every wrong had to be righted. Every one of them.
And of course this way of living is…exhausting. Unreasonable. Impossible. My head on a swivel. Always has been. Never safe. Righting wrongs. All wrongs.
It’s time to forgive.
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