Bridges
When the road ahead meets a gap, we build a bridge to get to the other side.
That’s what we do, don’t we?
Humanity has never come up against a problem and said, nope, can’t won’t do that.
Yes, many will say let somebody else build the bridge.
That’s true enough.
But when there’s a river to cross, everyone recognizes the need to build a bridge to get to the other side.
Ain’t no mountain high enough.
Ain’t no river wide enough.
Ain’t no valley deep enough.
As the song goes to keep us from getting to where we want to go.
Racism is a gap.
It’s a mountain, a river, a valley keeping humanity from getting to where it wants to go.
Where does humanity want to go?
It wants to get to a world where peace, justice, and love are the rule, not the exception.
Not something that takes every effort we have in our minds and bodies to keep and secure.
Peace, justice, and love needn’t be fought for.
A reason why we are in this constant numbing struggle generation after generation is the gap called racism.
There have been building efforts to get to the promised land.
Generation after generation has sunk foundations, pillars of stone, and steel deep into the river bank.
All in the effort to build that bridge.
To span that expanse.
But we keep coming up short.
The world is ruled by thirds.
It’s a hard, fast rule that every problem and situation can be divided into thirds.
One-third want a solution, one-third don’t care about a solution, and one-third fight any solution.
It has long been recognized by the bridge builders that there’s only one-third of the people actively help build bridges across humanities divides.
In fact, two-thirds of the people are either actively fighting the building of bridges or are doing absolutely nothing.
The worst part is those that are doing nothing.
Letting others do what they won’t do.
If we can get enough of the people who are sitting on their hands to join us, we can finish building that bridge.
How do we do it?
Here’s an honest answer…
I don’t know.
People haven’t listened to the words that Jesus said.
They don’t listen to Dr. King or Gandhi.
They don’t respond to the voices of poverty, the tears of despair and loss.
They don’t respond to the bombs of war, the bullets in our streets, our schools, our homes.
That dark river out there called racism sure has a lot of people afraid.
I’ve been thinking, and you all can tell me I’m nuts.
I’ve been thinking that we have to get up out of our seats and take as many as we can by the hand, by the heart, and lead them step by step to that brotherhood of man.
We all must actively engage our brothers and sisters and take as many as possible to the other side.
We also have to understand that we can’t get everybody.
Waiting on the rocks to grow wings isn’t going to happen.
We can’t wait on the perfect time is too short.
Take your brother and sister by the hand and tell them we are not afraid.
You don’t have to be afraid, either.
Love is calling your name.
Hear it?
Just have to answer and cross that bridge.
It’s for free and only costs you your fear.
Peace
DFrey