| You know, it's amazing how simple people think life really is when you look at it. You wake up, go to work, come home to your family, have dinner, maybe read the paper. You go to bed, having your dreams. But, there is so much more to life than that. So much more. I watched "A Time to Kill" tonight with my wife, staying up until now, being about 500am in Cali. Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound... Even in fiction, there is such great, profound truth that can move the very essence of a person's soul. Something so simple as a view on what a person's race is can change the very outcome of whether or not that person should be convicted of a crime for which a man, or woman, of another crime could have commited. That saved a wretch, like me... "Now imagine if she was white..." was the last line of an attorney's summary statement, played by Matthew McConaughey. He showed a jury just how unenlightened it really was, giving them a view of their own prejudices, even if they didn't know they had it. Yes, it was fiction, but it was also a truth. I once was lost, but now am found... I'm not a racist person. Sure, I've got my prejudices, but mine are based off of intellect, location, and in some cases, background, but I don't judge on race. This movie has shown me that I am prejudiced against certain backgrounds, like those from the South, or perhaps those who show less intellegence than others, meaning they don't think things through. But, I learned something about myself tonight. I learned that I need to put my judgements of others aside for a moment before I make a decision on how that person might act, react, or live their lives. Was blind, but now can see. Sure, people are allowed their opinions, their dreams, their views on how society lives, on how people live. But, what this movie shows us happens in courtrooms around the country, and has happened many times since the birth of our country, and the births of many countries around the world. Status among the people, where a person might be from, their jobs, their education... All of this leads a jury to convict a man based on stereotypes and prejudices. I really didn't have anything enlightening to really say, aside from a simple statement: Don't judge anyone, lest ye be judged. Put yourself in their position, throwing into the wind all possible notions that 'it could never happen to me,' and show a little compassion for your fellow humans. They laugh, just like you. They cry, just like you. They bleed, just like you. They die... Just like you. They are brothers and sisters, no matter who they are. And, like brothers and sisters, yes, you may hate them from time to time. However, don't judge them based on something so simple as skin, or one of a hundred other prejudices that exist within human nature. Rise above yourselves and all others, and think before you come to your decision. Sure, people perpetuate the stereotypes that most of us live by and see other people as they really are; They are you, me, my wife, your family, your brother, father, sister, cousin, uncle, friend. I do see the stereotypes and have even lived some of them. I have for quite some time, but my vision is a little clearer now. See this movie. Take it for what it is: A message on how we are as Americans. Realize those who defend this country are men, women, blacks, whites, asians, hispanics, and even some from countries we might view as enemies. I view them ALL as brothers and sisters in arms. I would fight, will fight, and if needed, die for them. They wear a uniform, many with 'US' or an American Flag on it. But, that doesn't mean those who aren't serving the country, state, or city aren't my family. That's not the case. I will take a moment each time I meet someone new and remind myself that 'there is a little of me in them.' Don't look at a persons lineage and instantly view them as a terrorist, a rapist, a murderer, a thief. View them as a human being with the same flaws that are inherent within all of us. Avoid the prejudices that make life difficult to live in peace. We are one people, in America, and in the world. Remember that. |
