Sandy Foundations

Matthew 22:22 - When they heard this, the disciples marveled, and so they went away.

Clearly they were speechless, blind-sided by Jesus' answer: they were shown to have Caesar's coin in the temple, and then Jesus tells them they've chosen poorly. These disciples are in over their heads. In fact, they remind me of Christians who go door-to-door evangelizing. If you say something they've not been prepared for, they will often be speechless, too. They have been given a narrow and limited view of the world a false view of the world.

Many people in the US consider the US to be a meritocracy, they consider it to be fair to all. It's not entirely their fault, that's what they've been taught in school and why would their teachers lie? They believe it because everyone around them believes it, because they want to believe it, and because it gives them an explanation for the anger and fear they feel without asking anything difficult of them. This anger and fear are real, but they've been told by people they trust that "those people" are responsible for those feelings. Because this comes from trusted sources, they don't question and don't realize they've been lied to.

I remember the first time I realized my parents had lied to me. Of course, they didn't do it on purpose, they'd also been taught things that weren't true. I don't recall what the issue was, but I do recall how it felt. It was if I was standing on the beach, and the sand I was on was being washed from under my feet by the waves. It was painful, but ultimately liberating. Suddenly, things I had been wondering about made sense. With the sand gone, I could feel the rock underneath.

I think this is how many people feel with all the societal changes in the last 70 years. For many, cherished beliefs about who they are and their place in the world are being called into question. That is always painful. Yet, it could be liberating if they (we) have the courage to examine those beliefs and why we have them. Not everyone has such courage; some people were taught that it's a sin to even have questions. In that situation it takes great courage to question what we've been taught.

If we have been told - verbally and non-verbally - in a million different ways that non-white people are inferior, it becomes a part of who we are and that is very difficult and painful to question. That is why people get defensive - those that are not using such language and ideas cynically - the sand under their feet is being washed away by the waves of social change. They fear for their life.

It's hard to be generous and patient with others when their attitudes and beliefs are getting people deported to countries that are foreign to them, tortured, and even killed. Yet, Jesus asks this of us anyway, especially white people. My mom once told me that there was no racism in the US - she couldn't see it, so, it wasn't there. Last year, though, while she was visiting us in Chicago, I shared with her some stuff I had learned from the book "Waking Up White." She took the book home with her. She wouldn't have listened if I hadn't been patient.

I mention this because white people talking to other white people is a great way - maybe the only way - to wash away the wall of fear, anger, and resistance. Black people have been speaking out for decades. They have been ignored, even when cops kill them for no reason. Some people will dismiss Black people every time, but they may be open to hearing other white people. It will be painful, but along with all the protests; the marches; the boycotts; the calling of senators, representatives, and mayors; and listening to Black people's experiences there needs to be education of white people by white people.

Only when we letting the sand of racism be washed away, can we begin to build a foundation of love, justice, and empathy for everyone.