Advice

 Last week our Zoom Book Chat (ZBC) group held our monthly session. Our assignment this time was to share what  piece of advice or information or other thoughts we would pass on to a grandchild, or to any younger person coming up behind us regarding racial reconciliation/social justice.

As you may recall from my last blog post, “Grandmother,” I have recently become one. (Quick update: My husband and I did indeed drive to the airport and fly to Washington to meet Baby John when he was nine days old. So glad we did. He’s perfect. I can hardly wait to see him and his parents again in October.)

Thinking about being a grandmother, I picked the ZBC discussion topic. It sounded pretty good at first. But I was a little stymied about what I myself would say.

I’m hoping racial strife and social injustice are long resolved by the time any grandchildren start paying attention to the world around them. I hope it’s all a thing of the past. I hope that people really do judge one another by their character and not by the color of their skin. I hope that all the built-in advantages of having white skin have been distributed fairly to everyone. I hope that there really is equity and justice in the way people are treated when they apply for get a job, or have a run-in with the law, or try to access food, or look for medical care, or cast their vote.

Unfortunately, I’m not very optimistic about these hopes being fulfilled, even in the lifetime of anyone I might talk to about them. Maybe because I’m about to start my eighth (yikes) decade on this planet, I’m just more world-weary and pessimistic. And I have to say that some of the young people who are in my sphere seem to have radically different ideas about what I think about racial and social justice issues. There is something about this struggle for justice that seems like the closer you get to your goal, the farther it appears to be.

So, assuming that the world in a few years will not be a noticeably more just, equitable and loving place, what would I “advise” a younger person?

1.      Be empathetic. Try to always imagine how you would feel in another person’s place. How would the words you’re about to say fall on someone else’s ears? What would you do in this particular situation? How would you want others to treat or respond to you?

2.      Assume the best about other people, rather than the worst. Do all you can to resist judging others, unless you are actually a judge.

3.      Make it a point to learn about other people. This includes their own circumstances and background, but also the larger picture of their culture and history.

4.      Be humble. Be willing to admit you’re uninformed or misinformed or – horrors – just plain wrong about something.

Perhaps I would just pass on some of my personal maxims (that I try to observe, even if I fail often):

            

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. – Jesus

What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. – Micah

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya      Angelou

** Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels