{"id":5143,"date":"2015-09-01T05:43:30","date_gmt":"2015-09-01T09:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=5143"},"modified":"2015-09-01T05:52:20","modified_gmt":"2015-09-01T09:52:20","slug":"everyone-counts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=5143","title":{"rendered":"everyone counts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Unknown\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Next in my series of observations while away last\u00a0month\u2026)<\/em><\/p>\n

Roll up your sleeves. Take off those partisan hats. Exhale any opinion ready to pounce. Let\u2019s talk about what we\u2019ve observed regarding #BlackLivesMatter.<\/p>\n

Originating in the wake of the acquittal of George Zimmerman in 2013, the #BlackLivesMatter movement campaigns against perceived police brutality in the United States. Note that according to Wikipedia and The Daily Beast, the movement is reportedly a decentralized network, with no formal hierarchy or structure in place. As summer has progressed, we have seemingly still witnessed an uptick in activity.<\/p>\n

Many have felt oppressed. Many are frustrated. Many have experienced grievous injustice. Many cry out. At the very least, they\/we deserve to be heard.<\/p>\n

The danger for any of us, friends, based on our own experience and the depth of our individual passions, is when we conclude that we deserve to be heard more than anyone else<\/em> \u2014 that it\u2019s completely acceptable for us to drown out all other voices\u2026 all other perspectives\u2026 be rude, disrespectful, you-name-it.<\/p>\n

In Houston, Texas last Friday night, 47 year old policeman Darren Goforth was off duty but still in uniform. He was innocently pumping gas at a Chevron station in a northwest suburb. A young African-American male came up and shot him from behind \u2014 with no known provocation \u2014 killing the officer \u2014 also, gut-wrenchingly, continuing to fire even after Goforth had fallen to the ground.<\/p>\n

Ironically, planned ahead of time \u2014 and unrelated to Goforth\u2019s murder \u2014 the very next day, 350-500 #BlackLivesMatter protesters shut down multiple entrances to the Minnesota State Fair. While their stated aim in this instance was to draw more attention to economic and social disparities, many of the activists still chanted, \u201cPigs in a blanket, fry \u2019em like bacon\u201d<\/em> \u2014 all while receiving a police escort for their protection.<\/p>\n

Protests in Minnesota. A murder in Texas. Unrelated. But what can we observe?<\/p>\n

On Saturday, in response to the death of his deputy, Sheriff Ron Hickman explained that investigators currently believe a “dangerous national rhetoric” against police officers led to the seemingly unprovoked attack. Hickman then, soberly added this:<\/p>\n

“We’ve heard ‘black lives matter’ \u2014 \u2018all lives matter.’ Well, cops\u2019 lives matter, too. So why don’t we drop the qualifier and just say: Lives Matter.<\/strong> And take that to the bank.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The reality is that all lives really do matter. If we\u2019re all created equal, then yes, we all matter\u2026 black lives matter\u2026 white lives matter\u2026 cops\u2019 lives matter\u2026 Hispanic lives matter\u2026 Muslim lives matter\u2026 evangelical Christian lives matter\u2026 Jewish lives matter\u2026 women’s lives matter… men’s lives matter… gay lives matter\u2026 elderly lives matter\u2026 babies\u2019 lives matter\u2026 transgender lives matter\u2026 special needs\u2019 lives matter\u2026 young lives matter\u2026 deaf lives matter\u2026 lives matter. Period.<\/p>\n

Hence, from my observations \u2014 politically incorrect as they may or may not be \u2014 when we\u2019re at the point where we can only acknowledge that one (or some) of the above lives matter<\/em> \u2014 when we are no longer listening to any reasoning other than our own \u2014 we are then missing a vital, dire aspect of wisdom. A society that is unable to admit that all lives matter is a society that will forever suffer from oppression and inequality \u2014 as individual people groups only advocate for their own.<\/p>\n

I think of my oldest son. Recently, he trekked off for his freshman year of college (yes, more observations coming here quite soon).<\/em> He, no less, by all accounts, is quite proud to now be a Florida Gator (\u2026insert appropriate chomping sound here\u2026).<\/em> \u2028\u2028I\u2019m reminded even more of the University of Florida\u2019s extensive, summer orientation \u2014 an informative, encouraging time when one of their programs was arguably emphasized above all others: \u201cU Matter, We Care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of the focus being on how much \u201cI\u201d matter, the university boldly proclaims how they care for all people; they know that everyone counts.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a beauty and freedom in acknowledging all who count. If only we knew\u2026 and only believed\u2026<\/p>\n

Respectfully\u2026
\nAR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Next in my series of observations while away last\u00a0month\u2026) Roll up your sleeves. Take off those partisan hats. Exhale any opinion ready to pounce. Let\u2019s talk about what we\u2019ve observed regarding #BlackLivesMatter. Originating in the wake of the acquittal of George Zimmerman in 2013, the #BlackLivesMatter movement campaigns against perceived police brutality in the United … <\/p>\n

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