I don’t normally write posts like this but it was on my heart for a while and I’m a definitely listening to what the Universe says these days.  So, warning:  this is long.  Read, don’t read, do you, but I hope you read all the way until the end and please comment with your thoughts.

I always say, humans have big brains for a reason and we need to start using them as God intended. Our big brains allow us to think in ways that the standard animal cannot. We can move past basic biological functions with thought and knowledge. Our baser instincts can be restrained with compassion, empathy and sympathy. It is these things that we as a whole are seriously lacking as a country.

One topic I specifically wanted to touch on today was how people feel about where they live and who they are comfortable around, and why it’s not ok to say things like, “there are too many so and so type of people in that neighborhood or my neighborhood.”  I’m guilty of this and so are people I’m close with including my very own amazing husband, so I’m going to take a moment for self-reflection as well. Because if I think like this as a very racially liberal and ambiguous minded person, how do other people think? Scares me.

It’s not ok for me to say I’m uncomfortable with too many foreigners in my neighborhood and it’s certainly not ok for white people to say this and here’s why. White people are the majority and are everywhere. Excluding the deep inner city of most major metropolitan areas, you are everywhere, white people. No matter what you are being told by the media or fanatical racist leaders, no one is coming close to usurping your role as the nation’s majority. According to the United States Census, as of July 2016, the White, non-Hispanic or Latino population make up 61.3% of the nation’s total.  You’re still in the lead guys and that means that you are everywhere.  So to this, can you imagine an educated black family moving into a neighborhood with “too many white people” and wanting to move out b/c of that.  Uh, not likely. Could it happen, sure but not likely b/c where the hell would they go? An educated, middle class black family is supposed to move to the inner city to be around a majority of black people? Really? Again, not likely, but as white people, you can actually move to a nice, well-maintained, desirable neighborhood with more white people. You have the choice to move to less diverse neighborhoods. And that’s so sad if you would ever choose to do that. My neighborhood is about as diverse as it gets here in America. We have Indian people, Asian people, African American people, good ole’ mixies like myself and of course, a shit ton of white people. And it’s awesome.

Luckily for me, I feel like I can be around whomever and be comfortable. A room full of white people, no probs. Black folks, I’m with you. Give me a room full of Hispanic people, I’m good. But I realize that a lot of people would not be. Let me put this question to you? Do you think if a black person goes to a restaurant with a lot of white people, they have a problem? The answer is no. That’s every day, all the time. It is what it is. But do you think the average white American would go to a “black” restaurant’ or “black” club and feel comfortable. Probably not. That’s so super sad to me. And then you want to make it a negative when other races want to have activities or that celebrate their culture or are inclusive? Some say, “they should just go back to the country they came from”. It certainly can’t be Christians saying that b/c that is about as opposite of the message of My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as it gets. Right? But it is. It’s good, honest, hard-working Christina Americans that have judgment and even hate in their hearts for other people. Ignorance and lack of understanding and compassion can really alter the perspective of an amazing religion. And that too, is sad.

We all need to look at our brothers and sisters in this world through eyes of compassion. Take your ego out of your thoughts. You may not understand how it feels to be sneered at because your skin is blue-black but you can acknowledge that it happens. You may not know how it feels to move to a country where you can’t speak the language and have to try to fit in with a completely different cultural mindset while keeping your own intact, but you can have grace with others as they navigate their way in our great country. And if you have a problem with looking at people with compassion and tolerance (which is different than acceptance, y’all), then I say to you, you probably are the ones that don’t belong in America. But America still accepts you. And that is why we are still a great country. Keep America great. Don’t make it great again like it was in the 1950s… you know what I’m talkin’ about.