News media rush to be first to report on an event, leaving the full context to come later or maybe never. A young black girl is killed by the stray bullet from the gun of a black man. The story is news for a day. A black man is killed by a white policeman, which results in extensive coverage. Blacks for generations have been victims of slavery and discrimination. Black ancestors sold their fellow blacks into slavery. Whites cower in fear of losing their privileges. Blacks struggle under inequities in law, economics and education. These are deeply rooted and complex problems. Human problems.
Organizations like Black Lives Matter, Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP, local governments and the judiciary all commit themselves to making things better. But every institution has its own objectives to focus the thinking and actions of its followers. The organization becomes the engine of change.
But individuals are individuals. Situations are individual. Individuals must be free and prepared to respond as individuals, but individuals who have mastered their hearts. The kind of heart that knows how to manage disappointment and frustration. The kind of heart that is empathetic, intelligent, generous and wise in experience. It’s only this kind of heart that has a chance to conquer injustice in the world. And how do we recognize such a heart? It aches for plight of others first.
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