July has been an eventful time around my home. The biggest news is that, on June 30, my spouse Beatrix retired. She began her retirement on Canada Day by staying in bed until 11:00 AM, a very rare occurrence. Since then, she has housecleaned, planned and executed a special dinner for guests, and sorted old files for shredding. A busy time, but without pressure.
My July has been much more ordinary. I follow my usual patten of reading, drinking coffee, shopping for the house, and fooling around on my computer. The sloth in my life continues, as I am having trouble focusing on two worship services I have to prepare for August, and a column I must write for the local paper.
I have to admit that I have preoccupied with the events happening in the US, and their direct impact on my life. The shooting - murders from my perspective - of two citizens of colour in Louisiana and Minnesota, have been at the top of my anguish list recently. The shooting of five police officers in Texas is also tragic, but almost expected as a violent response to police actions around the country. Something that really upset me was the speed at which the shootings of black people were pushed off the front pages in favour of the police murders. It's like the media were relieved to leave the coloured killing behind, and get on with the mourning of the "tragic killing" of white cops.
The manner in which these events came powerfully into my life relates to a discussion I had with some o my conservative coffee mates last week. Most of them were agreed that the shooting of the coloured men was "understandable," since blacks are almost genetically given to violence, so in a sense, the police officers were only protecting themselves. Heated arguments ensued about the danger of these two totally innocent black men, and why it was alright for cops to shoot them in self protection. Along side that, the horror they expressed over white cops being killed, the rage that spawned, was all out of perspective. One man, an expat American who has long been a Canadian citizen, deliberately called the murdered black men "niggers." I haven't heard that word used in years. It was, for me, a message about how clear white supremacy ideas are expressed in the heat of anger, at least in my part of the world. I realized, on reflection, that I need to severely limit my association with these people, because their toxic attitudes are hard on my soul. I lie awake at night ruminating about this.
People of colour, gays, transgendered people, and anyone "brown," are all objects of disdain and hostility at times around that table. I sometimes try to make my point, but there is no support for it around that table. For the sake of my sanity and peace I need to coffee and read with other people or alone. I had actually thought I might have a ministry with these men, bringing an alternative viewpoint to such events. It feels more like I become a punching bag for "liberal" ideas, liberal being a pejorative word in that group. I am currently mulling this over, caught between feeling obligated to challenge the racist ideas, and trying to preserve my peace of mind when I'm trying to relax. "More anon", as Grandma Black used to say.
My July has been much more ordinary. I follow my usual patten of reading, drinking coffee, shopping for the house, and fooling around on my computer. The sloth in my life continues, as I am having trouble focusing on two worship services I have to prepare for August, and a column I must write for the local paper.
I have to admit that I have preoccupied with the events happening in the US, and their direct impact on my life. The shooting - murders from my perspective - of two citizens of colour in Louisiana and Minnesota, have been at the top of my anguish list recently. The shooting of five police officers in Texas is also tragic, but almost expected as a violent response to police actions around the country. Something that really upset me was the speed at which the shootings of black people were pushed off the front pages in favour of the police murders. It's like the media were relieved to leave the coloured killing behind, and get on with the mourning of the "tragic killing" of white cops.
The manner in which these events came powerfully into my life relates to a discussion I had with some o my conservative coffee mates last week. Most of them were agreed that the shooting of the coloured men was "understandable," since blacks are almost genetically given to violence, so in a sense, the police officers were only protecting themselves. Heated arguments ensued about the danger of these two totally innocent black men, and why it was alright for cops to shoot them in self protection. Along side that, the horror they expressed over white cops being killed, the rage that spawned, was all out of perspective. One man, an expat American who has long been a Canadian citizen, deliberately called the murdered black men "niggers." I haven't heard that word used in years. It was, for me, a message about how clear white supremacy ideas are expressed in the heat of anger, at least in my part of the world. I realized, on reflection, that I need to severely limit my association with these people, because their toxic attitudes are hard on my soul. I lie awake at night ruminating about this.
People of colour, gays, transgendered people, and anyone "brown," are all objects of disdain and hostility at times around that table. I sometimes try to make my point, but there is no support for it around that table. For the sake of my sanity and peace I need to coffee and read with other people or alone. I had actually thought I might have a ministry with these men, bringing an alternative viewpoint to such events. It feels more like I become a punching bag for "liberal" ideas, liberal being a pejorative word in that group. I am currently mulling this over, caught between feeling obligated to challenge the racist ideas, and trying to preserve my peace of mind when I'm trying to relax. "More anon", as Grandma Black used to say.
