{William Cerf's Creativity Journal 

Writers Notebook for August 2014

 

August 16th

 

Sometimes I just want to sit and cry as I continue learning…

 

…the events in Ferguson followed events in Staten Island, NY …

 

…lives lost

 

the old man selling loosies is choked to death for selling loosies for God’s sake!

 

…what if his skin were the same color as mine?

……….would he still be alive?

 

I saw a video showing Michael Brown lying unattended on the street. It took ten minutes for someone to put a white sheet over his long dead body while people were milling around and cop cars had their sirens and flashing lights blazing.

 

In what country do people get choked to death for the high crime of not collecting taxes on loose cigarettes….which is why Eric Garner died. He did something really terrible! He violated the rule of law and you don’t violate the rule of law in this country.

• PERIOD

…you did get that right? –

 

….well maybe if your skin is the same color as mine you might get away with it or go to court, get your hand slapped and eventually after much hassle go on your merry way.

 

Oh, dear friend…

 

I hear your frustration…..

I see you

 

…we need each other

…we need each of us to pray for each other

 

Can I have Christian agape for someone who chokes a person for selling loosies or shoots a person for reasons I can’t fathom? I might be able to muster agape but can I truly love the Other - a cop?

 

Can I have Christian agape for someone who “games the system” in order to survive the ravages of slavery and Jim Crow that continues to this day?

 

Eventually they will call me Dr. and I will be recognized as an expert in…

 

…struggling to learn how to love my fellow humans

…struggling to be a Christian