Make a Difference

 

Woke

“I’ve noticed something about people who make a difference in the world: They hold the unshakable conviction that individuals are extremely important, that every life matters. They get excited over one smile. They are willing to feed one stomach, educate one mind, and treat one wound. They aren’t determined to revolutionize the world all at once; they are satisfied with small changes. Over time, though, the small changes add up. Sometimes they even transform cities and nations, and yes, the world.”

Beth Clark

          We are going through the minor torture of the mid-term election political ads in Alabama right now. They are so stupid it’s embarrassing. I have to mute the television to endure it. They’re all about how the “woke crowd” want to change “our way of life” and as you’re hearing these words, they’re walking through a field with a rifle slung over their shoulder or firing a handgun at a firing range. Even our 77-year-old female governor is bragging about “packing heat.” And this when every day brings another mass shooting. Honestly, if the opposite of “woke” is brain-dead, then those ads personify it.

          Those of us who truly want the world to become more just, who find racism and judicial inequity abhorrent, who want to focus on climate change and not in-fighting, who believe that all lives are of equal value and should have equal rights and privileges, who think sensible gun control is in the best interest of the country are told that we’re un-American and sneered at for our “wokeness.” It’s one sad state of affairs.

          I say, we must simply carry on. Make that one meal for that one person and show kindness even to strangers no matter what color they are. Go ahead and teach, educate one mind, and work for justice through your vote and through your actions. Pray for Ukraine and for Buffalo and for all of us. Make sure you support the community food banks and health programs. Do what you can—that’s all that’s necessary. Over time, small things add up. You may not see it in your lifetime, but every act of kindness makes ripples, like throwing a pebble into a lake. It's okay to be called a liberal and a “woke” person—don't worry about it. Jesus was “woke” too, and he managed to change a few things in this world.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane