Apples come in different colors and tastes
I love apples irrespective of their colors and tastes
But all it takes is a few rotten apples
To condemn a basket of amazing apples
Irrespective of their colors and tastes
And thus I ask: must we censure all apples
Dump them in the bin, eat them no more
Irrespective of their colors and tastes
Must we smash, raze and ruin ace apples
Because of a few rotten apples
Irrespective of their colors and tastes?
It is not only the United States, but the world at large, is reeling at unjust deaths in the hands of those who are supposed to protect us. From North America to Africa, through the Middle East, Asia, Europe, everywhere you go, stories abound of men who snuff out the lives of others as if there is a duplicate life somewhere that can be picked up later and reinstalled. It may be few and far between in some places, and rampant in others. More importantly, the availability of social media has accomplished something history couldn’t: it has been revealing the faces of the helpless and the predators: the faces of men who are killed like chicken and the faces of their killers who act like god: the faces of men like all of us, snuffing out human life as if it is replaceable. Truth we may not like to hear at this time is that evil is evil and it comes in all colors and sizes.
Nobody who witnessed what happened to George Floyd will not be heartbroken. It is incredibly sad to watch a handful mess the reputation of so many who put their lives at risk for public safety. It does not matter what anyone had done: they are innocent until proven guilty and must be treated with respect irrespective of their colors and sizes. The law, not mere men like us, paid with our tax money, can make such decisions. Does that make every police officer deserving of death?
As in every situation, we jumped into the streets to demonstrate our just anger and what was the result? Killing, looting, and destroying the means of livelihood of people like us, who are hurting as we are, who are struggling everyday to take care of their families, who have been hit by the virus that kept us all at home these past months. Why are we killing people who have done us no wrong, hurting one another and innocent families all over again because someone did wrong? We are doing the very things we are supposed to be standing up against; killing, looting and burning our own cities and the properties of people like you and me. How can we judge those who take the laws into their hands to do evil by doing the very things and worse than what we condemn them for?
Once again, unpleasant history continues to repeat itself as a few take advantage of a just cause to mess the opportunities for those who sincerely stand against injustice. The pain and anger are justified but how can we right a wrong with more wrong? Where is the reason in destroying a basket of apples because of some rotten apples, which exist on all sides of the spectrum? Are we now turning bad apples in condemnation of bad apples, does that make anything okay? What sense does it make to take the laws into our hands against someone who took the law into their own hands? Just like injustice cannot be corrected through unjust acts, we cannot fight hate with hate and win. O that light will shine upon our darkness, that the arms of justice will locate bad apples of every color and size, that love will replace hate, that we may gather to build rather than destroy one another, that the innocent be spared from misdirected wrath, and that we may be merciful toward other apples like us and not destroy all because of a few rotten ones. Amen.
Glory!