Stop. Listen.

2020: The year that was supposed to bring us 2020 vision and prosperity. Not so much, right? I’ve seen many people say “2020 is cancelled. See you next year”.

Stop. Listen.

2020 is NOT cancelled.

2020 is the year that shook us. 2020 is the year that woke us up. 2020 is the year that made us uncomfortable. We can’t grow without being uncomfortable.

I rarely talk politics. Why? Because the art of communication is dying. Most people don’t know how to carry a conversation anymore, especially when when they’re in disagreement. I’ve encountered many people who need people to 100% agree with them, or they feel invalid or attacked. Their validation comes from the outside, rather than within. Here’s the thing: I can see where you’re coming from and respect and love you as a person, without agreeing with you.

Which is part of the reason why, with quarantine and the state of unrest that our nation is in, I wanted to pull the covers over my head and live in my own la la land. It doesn’t really affect me, right? It’s not a big deal, right?

Wrong.

Stop. Listen.

I have been mostly quite on all social media fronts because, honestly, I didn’t know what to say. A few weeks ago, everyone posted a black square for Black Out Tuesday. I did not post a black square. I thought to myself “How the hell is posting a black square going to make a difference? ALL lives matter. Blue lives matter. This shit is ridiculous”. I didn’t have anything nice to say so I kept quiet.

Stop. Listen.

A friend of mine used an amazing analogy to explain what is happening: When someone’s house is on fire, we call the firefighters to put it out. They don’t take the time to talk about the other houses. They are focused on saving the house that is on fire. Do the other houses matter? Of course. But they aren’t on fire.”

Stop. Listen.

Black squares on social media don’t bring change. BLM hashtags don’t bring change. They are useful and effective tools for bringing awareness, but we need CHANGE. So, how do we change?

Stop. Listen.

Listen to your inner voice. Your thoughts. Your words. Your actions. Are they helping or hindering? You don’t have to be on the front lines of the protests. But we all need to look inward. I found biases in me that I didn’t even know existed.

Stop. Listen.

Listen to your family. Your friends. What they say, do, post on social media. Are they helping or hindering? Racist “jokes” are not jokes. It’s ok to be the “black sheep” and say something and, hopefully, enlighten them on why their actions and words are hateful.

Stop. Listen.

Listen to your kids. Listen to what you are teaching them; to what society is teaching them. Together, we can raise a generation that isn’t blind to the injustice that is blatantly taking place. We can teach them to speak up. To defend and love one another.

Stop. Listen.

Listen to our nations leaders. Hear their words; their promises. See their actions. See how broken our 2 party system is. Let’s educate ourselves and vote for leaders who will bring about the change we need, rather than blindly voting for a political party.

Stop. Listen.

Yes, I can support the BLM movement and be white. Yes, I can support our law enforcement officers and want accountability and consequences with their power. Yes, I can support the protests while shaking my head at the looters and rioters. Yes, I can be supportive without blasting it on social media.

Stop. Lisen.

If you feel at a loss for words, that’s ok. If you choose to post on social media, or not, that’s ok. If you go to protests, that’s ok. If you choose to stay home, that’s ok. If you’re unsure of things right now, that’s ok. Change comes from within. If we all look closer at ourselves and the people that are close to us, we can slowly start a chain reaction of change.