* What if ........ The societal symptoms we see are not THE PROBLEM. What if the symptoms show up because of THE PROBLEM? Just like with most diseases, we see the symptoms well before we understand the cause. We can't cure the disease by treating the symptoms.
* What if .......The root cause of THE PROBLEM is actually fairly simple to decipher? Most of us have been taught, since birth, (and we've learned well) that we are different because of our predominant skin color or ethnicity. We've learned to "see" people with a different predominant skin color as not like those of us with another predominant skin color. That doesn't mean we've been taught to see others as better or worse, but we've learned to start with our differences.
* What if ....... We retrained ourselves to view each other from our unique sameness, our similarities, not our differences? Unfortunately, relearning is, many times, harder than comprehending what was previously learned, because what was previously learned is imbedded in our brains and has formed biases.
* What if ...... We realized we can't solve problems that have existed since before we were born with the same old methods that obviously haven't worked. Surely you've heard, "Doing the same things the same way and expecting different results is a form of insanity".
* What if ..... we realized our verbiage affects our thoughts, and our thoughts affect our verbiage. What if we realized the words we speak have power, and many of the words and phrases that are being thrown around force readers and listeners to choose sides rather than choose each other. For instance, if you have a favorite sport and you're with a group of people who also love the sport, the conversation and environment is great while you're discussing how great the sport is......... until you start discussing favorite teams. It's amazing how the discussion that forces us to choose teams can immediately divide a room that had just been having a positive conversation. Take a minute to think about a few of the words and phrases that force you to pick a side when it comes to predominant skin color or ethnicity. I'm purposefully not mentioning them. I think you can come up with a few on your own.
* What if ...... We finally begin to understand we can't mandate or legislate how we view each other or treat each other. We can't expect the government to implement ways of forcing us to view and treat each other with love and respect. Anything that attempts to "force" change related to predominant skin color or ethnicity will, inevitably, force pushback. We don't like to be told how to think or act.
* What if ..... We decided to no longer allow ourselves to be labeled by our predominant skin color or ethnicity for ANY PURPOSE except for official identification on a government issued I.D. such as a driver's license, or for medical purposes. If it is an official description, it should also include eye and hair color, along with height and weight.
* What if ..... We made it clear that in no way, shape, or form should a person be identified by any person or media outlet by their predominant skin color or ethnicity except for the use of finding missing persons or those wanted for criminal activity. If description is needed, again, it should include eye and hair color, along with height and weight, not just predominant skin color.
* What if ...... We can become committed to peacefully bringing about change in the way people of different predominant skin colors talk to and about each other, the way we think about ourselves and others, and the way we treat each other.
*What if ..... We all took the simple step that can lead to big changes. The simple step of refusing to be categorized by predominant skin color or ethnicity will lead to big changes.
* What if .......The root cause of THE PROBLEM is actually fairly simple to decipher? Most of us have been taught, since birth, (and we've learned well) that we are different because of our predominant skin color or ethnicity. We've learned to "see" people with a different predominant skin color as not like those of us with another predominant skin color. That doesn't mean we've been taught to see others as better or worse, but we've learned to start with our differences.
* What if ....... We retrained ourselves to view each other from our unique sameness, our similarities, not our differences? Unfortunately, relearning is, many times, harder than comprehending what was previously learned, because what was previously learned is imbedded in our brains and has formed biases.
* What if ...... We realized we can't solve problems that have existed since before we were born with the same old methods that obviously haven't worked. Surely you've heard, "Doing the same things the same way and expecting different results is a form of insanity".
* What if ..... we realized our verbiage affects our thoughts, and our thoughts affect our verbiage. What if we realized the words we speak have power, and many of the words and phrases that are being thrown around force readers and listeners to choose sides rather than choose each other. For instance, if you have a favorite sport and you're with a group of people who also love the sport, the conversation and environment is great while you're discussing how great the sport is......... until you start discussing favorite teams. It's amazing how the discussion that forces us to choose teams can immediately divide a room that had just been having a positive conversation. Take a minute to think about a few of the words and phrases that force you to pick a side when it comes to predominant skin color or ethnicity. I'm purposefully not mentioning them. I think you can come up with a few on your own.
* What if ...... We finally begin to understand we can't mandate or legislate how we view each other or treat each other. We can't expect the government to implement ways of forcing us to view and treat each other with love and respect. Anything that attempts to "force" change related to predominant skin color or ethnicity will, inevitably, force pushback. We don't like to be told how to think or act.
* What if ..... We decided to no longer allow ourselves to be labeled by our predominant skin color or ethnicity for ANY PURPOSE except for official identification on a government issued I.D. such as a driver's license, or for medical purposes. If it is an official description, it should also include eye and hair color, along with height and weight.
* What if ..... We made it clear that in no way, shape, or form should a person be identified by any person or media outlet by their predominant skin color or ethnicity except for the use of finding missing persons or those wanted for criminal activity. If description is needed, again, it should include eye and hair color, along with height and weight, not just predominant skin color.
* What if ...... We can become committed to peacefully bringing about change in the way people of different predominant skin colors talk to and about each other, the way we think about ourselves and others, and the way we treat each other.
*What if ..... We all took the simple step that can lead to big changes. The simple step of refusing to be categorized by predominant skin color or ethnicity will lead to big changes.
Any time you're asked to check a box for ethnicity or predominant skin color ......
Check the box that says OTHER, and write MULTI COLORED!
Check the box that says OTHER, and write MULTI COLORED!
