A lyric from “Us For Them,” a powerful song from the “One Wild Life: Soul”album, a trilogy of albums
Gungor is releasing this year exploring the trichotomy of soul, spirit, and body within humanity, and it’s
relation to faith (and every other thing, in fact) within our complex world.
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Note: I have been traveling for work for the past several weeks, and therefore unable to post my writing when it was initially conceived. The following blog was written in response to the spiralling vortex of violence and despair that has gripped much of the world the past few weeks. Regardless of ‘immediate response,’ the underlying issues of a disproportionate prejudicial response to African Americans by the police is statistically true, and more than deserving of a thoughtful, action-oriented response that mutes the violence plaguing America, and much of the rest of the world in respect to the law and its citizens’ safety.
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This is how practical "seeing one's neighbour" can be – literally crossing the street to greet someone who is "different" than you, and then quickly realising you have more in common that unifies. What an incredible display of unity on display as a recent “Black Lives Matter” protest crossed the (actual) street to introduce themselves to their fellow Dallas, Texas neighbours, who had started a counter-protest arguing that all lives have worth.
I especially love the police officer who was "keeping the peace" joining in their prayer.
Even if this was played up a bit for the cameras (which it wasn't – just look at their faces and listen to the voice in the background exclaim “This is how you take down a wall!”), it would be transformative.
This is what America – and the rest of an increasingly divided, polarised, violently chaotic world – can be, if it chooses to simply cross the street from one side to the other.
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An Important Postscript:
#blacklivesmatter: I stand with you in solidarity, my dear brothers and sisters.
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Full CNN Video Link:
http://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/07/11/one-dallas-protesters-come-together-nccorig.cnn/video/playlists/dallas-police-officer-shot/