Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
You Think It's A Game, But It's Not...
You Think It’s A Game, But It’s Not…
Copyright © 2008
This past 4th of July, I didn’t want to do anything, except sit at my computer in my pajamas as long as I wanted, doing what I love to do…write. But after several false starts and staring at the same couple of paragraphs for more hours than I care to admit, I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to find the level of inspiration I needed to get through the 4th of July piece I’d started writing a few weeks back. If this had been the good ole’ days of the typewriter, there would have been a trashcan full of crumpled pages bearing my discarded thoughts. But, at least I did accomplish one of my intentions; the day was well on its way by the time I stepped into the shower and changed into a fresh pair of “jammies”. I decided that I wasn’t going to stress over not having written much, and turned to my second obsession- watching the news; and there I stayed, happily following the latest breaking facsimiles of news. I still knew that there was something I was supposed to be saying about this momentous day, and it bothered me that for some reason, I was unable to form the thoughts and words to convey what I felt.
Now, I come from a family of strong believers in God, and as they say, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” I’m no Bible totin’, scripture quotin’ type of a person, but I have experienced a spiritual growth that helps me to maintain my grounding, and recognize when higher powers are at work. I didn’t trip. I was sure that the answer and the words would come when the time was right. And I didn’t have to wait long. The next day, a friend was celebrating her birthday, and several friends gathered to share this special moment in her life. Some people I knew, and some I’d just met for the first time, but there was an overall air of one-ness that permeated the entire afternoon and evening. While there, one friend suggested that we play a game he called, Questions, where each person wrote down two to three questions about any subject and placed the folded paper in a bowl. After much protest about playing party games, we all sat around and as the questions were read, those who wanted to, could respond to the question. Of course, because of the historic nature of current events, the topic of race and the presidential election was one of the questions. The crowd was entirely African-American, with the exception of one couple- one person of white ethnicity, and the other person, Hispanic. What happened as the game progressed was something that I wish all people could experience.
The conversations that day, as with many of our gatherings, got deep. In that short evening, I felt as if I had experienced the type of genuine and honest interaction among a group of people that is rarely accomplished. No one held back. We talked about everything, including our feelings as Americans, and expressed what this country means to each of us; both the good things and the bad. My new friend, the only white person in the group, was not uncomfortable in the least when she expressed her feelings and posed some difficult questions. Neither were any of my African-American friends in posing their questions, and addressing our conflicting feelings and thoughts. It was a moment in which I truly felt as if there was “no color-line.” The overall sentiment that we all expressed is that America is our home, regardless of its past; and we all discussed the fact that there is no way for African-Americans to disregard the ill-treatment of our ancestors, when trying to reconcile our identity as Americans. We talked about the things in our modern society that have seemed to divide one human being from the other, and how important it is for these types of conversations to take place in society if we are to ever really rid ourselves of racism. At one point, someone said, “If more people could talk to each other the way that we are now, just think about how many misconceptions about each other could be avoided, or even done away with.”
Even though it was my friend’s birthday that we were celebrating, I felt as if I had received a gift. The most special moment of the night, for me, came as I was saying goodbye to my new friends, when the woman who’d so freely shared her thoughts with us gave me a hug, and told me that this evening had been not only a wonderful celebration, but one that had enlightened her. I felt the same. That evening, a line of communication was opened that can hopefully catch on. What started as a game, turned out to be so much more, and when I think about the significance of it all, I have to stand in awe at the congealing power of humanity. When we are willing to open ourselves to various understandings, and seek answers to the questions that may sometimes make us uncomfortable, the dissolution of racial divisions seems completely possible. But, “everything in its time.” Just as I had thought that my 4th of July story would not come, but soon did, so too, will we move toward a time when more people will be able to experience what we shared on that afternoon, a true Independence Day. It's funny, I thought it was a game, but it wasn’t.
Copyright © 2008
This past 4th of July, I didn’t want to do anything, except sit at my computer in my pajamas as long as I wanted, doing what I love to do…write. But after several false starts and staring at the same couple of paragraphs for more hours than I care to admit, I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to find the level of inspiration I needed to get through the 4th of July piece I’d started writing a few weeks back. If this had been the good ole’ days of the typewriter, there would have been a trashcan full of crumpled pages bearing my discarded thoughts. But, at least I did accomplish one of my intentions; the day was well on its way by the time I stepped into the shower and changed into a fresh pair of “jammies”. I decided that I wasn’t going to stress over not having written much, and turned to my second obsession- watching the news; and there I stayed, happily following the latest breaking facsimiles of news. I still knew that there was something I was supposed to be saying about this momentous day, and it bothered me that for some reason, I was unable to form the thoughts and words to convey what I felt.
Now, I come from a family of strong believers in God, and as they say, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” I’m no Bible totin’, scripture quotin’ type of a person, but I have experienced a spiritual growth that helps me to maintain my grounding, and recognize when higher powers are at work. I didn’t trip. I was sure that the answer and the words would come when the time was right. And I didn’t have to wait long. The next day, a friend was celebrating her birthday, and several friends gathered to share this special moment in her life. Some people I knew, and some I’d just met for the first time, but there was an overall air of one-ness that permeated the entire afternoon and evening. While there, one friend suggested that we play a game he called, Questions, where each person wrote down two to three questions about any subject and placed the folded paper in a bowl. After much protest about playing party games, we all sat around and as the questions were read, those who wanted to, could respond to the question. Of course, because of the historic nature of current events, the topic of race and the presidential election was one of the questions. The crowd was entirely African-American, with the exception of one couple- one person of white ethnicity, and the other person, Hispanic. What happened as the game progressed was something that I wish all people could experience.
The conversations that day, as with many of our gatherings, got deep. In that short evening, I felt as if I had experienced the type of genuine and honest interaction among a group of people that is rarely accomplished. No one held back. We talked about everything, including our feelings as Americans, and expressed what this country means to each of us; both the good things and the bad. My new friend, the only white person in the group, was not uncomfortable in the least when she expressed her feelings and posed some difficult questions. Neither were any of my African-American friends in posing their questions, and addressing our conflicting feelings and thoughts. It was a moment in which I truly felt as if there was “no color-line.” The overall sentiment that we all expressed is that America is our home, regardless of its past; and we all discussed the fact that there is no way for African-Americans to disregard the ill-treatment of our ancestors, when trying to reconcile our identity as Americans. We talked about the things in our modern society that have seemed to divide one human being from the other, and how important it is for these types of conversations to take place in society if we are to ever really rid ourselves of racism. At one point, someone said, “If more people could talk to each other the way that we are now, just think about how many misconceptions about each other could be avoided, or even done away with.”
Even though it was my friend’s birthday that we were celebrating, I felt as if I had received a gift. The most special moment of the night, for me, came as I was saying goodbye to my new friends, when the woman who’d so freely shared her thoughts with us gave me a hug, and told me that this evening had been not only a wonderful celebration, but one that had enlightened her. I felt the same. That evening, a line of communication was opened that can hopefully catch on. What started as a game, turned out to be so much more, and when I think about the significance of it all, I have to stand in awe at the congealing power of humanity. When we are willing to open ourselves to various understandings, and seek answers to the questions that may sometimes make us uncomfortable, the dissolution of racial divisions seems completely possible. But, “everything in its time.” Just as I had thought that my 4th of July story would not come, but soon did, so too, will we move toward a time when more people will be able to experience what we shared on that afternoon, a true Independence Day. It's funny, I thought it was a game, but it wasn’t.
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