When society breaks at the level of micro interactions - social kindness is overwhelmed by stress responses - we see trouble appear at the level of macro interactions - riots and social violence. It is similar to a chemical buffer being overwhelmed, for a long time there is no difference to the system and then, apparently suddenly, the changes are abrupt, difficult to reverse and can have long lasting consequences.
God calls us to love, to protect and serve - the very promise of the police and armed services. And this is why, when the order came to attack their own citizens who protested for the very rights to have respect and the right to live without constant fear for access to basic needs, constant fear of violence, they did what all great heroes in history have done. They chose to protect and serve the communities they loved, their brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. They chose to listen to their hearts and souls. Nations, after all, are ultimately all under God.
Riots, with their inevitable fear on both sides, can only be conquered with love and humility, isn't that a huge part of what world faiths have been teaching us for so long? Police can show their love for their community, make bold acts of kindness toward the marginalised and fearful. Community members can embrace officers and help them truly become a part of the fabric of society, there to protect when called upon. After all, are we not all brothers and sisters, one human family? We need to see more dancing policemen, more cops helping grannies carry their grocery bags, more of sense of togetherness and a joint purpose to a peacefully evolving society.
If, as Martin Luther King Jr., said, riots are the language of the unheard, it was time to show that those in pain had been heard in the ways that mattered to their hearts and souls. Listening, after all, isn't simply the hearing of words, but of taking them in on an emotional level, to feel their heartbreak and let that inform our response in terms of emotion, words, actions and the formation of real plans to ease their pain now and into a stable future. Everyone needs love, and love from our uniformed protectors is vital for all.
When the police marched in step with the protestors and said with their actions, hearts and voices, that they demanded racial equality too, things got better. For who are the police but members of our communities, people who swore an oath to protect and serve. Everyone loves a cop who protects, who is there to make things better in a moment of crisis, it's just that everyone needed to feel that equal protection with the sacredness of their life fully acknowledged in every way that matters.
On the fourth night of the riots, the police did something new. They kneeled upon the ground, heads bowed, armed only with wreaths of flowers, with a choir singing of love and faith. When they said such a heartfelt apology, when they put themselves at the mercy of the protestors, something beautiful happened. A connection was made and new way forwards was born. That's the power of asking for forgiveness the right way and seeking a genuine, long lasting resolution that is fair for all.
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