Hey friends,
Fun fact! I wear glasses. It's a pretty recent development in the life of Pran and I am still getting used to having it on my face. I've had times where I've left the house without them. I laughed it off because I don't enjoy wearing them but the truth is they help me see clearly.
I miss having 2020 vision without my specs. For most of us the thought of having 2020 vision would mean when someone is able to have the visual acuity (Yes, I've learnt a new word), of something 20 feet away. This is just something we've come to understand. However, this isn't the only visual skill that is necessary for us as humans. For example, in order to acquire your driving license one would also be required to have a peripheral awareness (side vision), hand-eye coordination, as well as depth and perception. The other very important thing you would need is
colour vision.
Isn't this an amazing gift given by God? For us to have all these abilities and capabilities as human beings? Most of these skills are nurtured within us by our parents, guardians, teachers and the rest of the world, really. We are taught as children to look left, right and left again before crossing a road. We are taught to stop when a traffic light has turned red in front of us. We are taught that each colour has a name.
The way we interpret and sort information is needed in order for us to make the best decision, formulate thoughts and carry out the decision made by the use of actions. So we need healthy eyes, right? With that being said, everyone has a different perception about the thing that is happening or that they are seeing in front of them. Obviously, no one person is alike.
Society and the experiences/encounters we've been a part of have also shaped the way we interpret the information given to us. This has a tremendous effect on the decisions made by us. The actions carried out before George Floyd's death showed the impact colour plays in our world and has stabbed at an old wound in American society which has had a ripple effect on many other countries. The wound of racism.
We know about racism from the history books, we know about the treatment of our black brothers and sisters in many parts of the world today and we know who runs America.
Based on all the information we have on the above three things, how can we be okay with the actions taken to prevent the conversations taking place through the
Black Lives Matter movement? This conversation was not about if George Floyd was an upstanding citizen. This conversation was not started to attack another racial group. It is a conversation trying to right the wrongs of the past that have been brought into our present through generational talks that brought no insight or wisdom, no solution to the issue and I recognise the feelings it brings with it.
As a woman of colour and as a citizen of a country that had her own people fighting so hard for her freedom, it is the most heartbreaking thing to witness a community of people striving for a better future and not wanting to be heard because of the colour of their skin. My heart bleeds for all of the Black community near, far and wide that are feeling overwhelmed by the happenings in America.
There's a bible scripture that gave me a lot of direction recently. Anyone familiar with
Matthew 6:22-23? "22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" This verse can be interpreted in many ways and holds many messages. The message I got from this verse when studying it and at a time like this is that we rely heavily on our eyes (our conscience) from which we receive that mental light (healthy eyes) that God gives us in order for us to make a just decision and if we do not have that light (unhealthy eyes) that we need we will be misguided into making a bad decision.
Let's keep our eyes healthy and stay in the light of God to know right from wrong and to act justly. Let's listen and learn. May we reconceptualise our broken society's way of seeing the information given to them and band together to keep the conversations flowing.
Sending good vibes,
Pran
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