What Are You Afraid Of?

In the wake of Trayvon Martin's trial and by that I mean, his murder on trial, I talked with a close friend and out of that conversation, the key word of fear came up.  Yes, race is one of the symptoms the disease that caused the tragedy for the Martin family but lets be clear:  the disease is fear.  This trial was about fear, fear of a young black man because presumably other young black men have committed crimes where this young black man resided.

When I was growing up, my generation was taught, not to talk to strangers if your parents or teachers aren't with you, to be wary of people on the street because they might offer you drugs, and to be more localized, don't go through East Lake Meadows (aka Little Vietnam) or Thomasville Heights at night time.  In short, be so cautious that we would fear people.  If people fit a certain image, right or wrong we should fear them, not be cautious till we get to know them but fear them as soon as we see the whites of their eyes.

Its a sad funny that Birth of a Nation is becoming more of a prophecy than it is a film.  And that prophecy is, to fear the opposite of your mirror.  Rather if it have been white or black or red or yellow, this nation has been taught, has been raised to fear.  Where I work, as a black man, I sometimes see young white ladies cross the street or hold their purses tighter.  Where I live, as a black man, I have been taught to look over my shoulder when I see youngsters hanging out just being young and green because some of them could be doing something else and could be watching me. I like Chinese food but I have been told to watch the people in the back because they may not wash their hands.  I mean, the list of things we have been taught to fear can go on and on and on but the point is, we have been taught these things.

But out of the fears we have been taught or picked up on we have left no room for love.  Somehow we have convinced ourselves that our fears will keep us safe when throughout history, we see that is so far from the truth.  Fear, from the beginning has caused us to miss the mark on what God intended for us and that is to love one another.  But how can we love one another when we are so scared of each other.  We have made so many things to keep us separate from each other, mental and material that we can always fear each other and never love each other and to quote Take 6, "what the world needs now is more love!" 

With that, I hope the tragedy of Trayvon Martin makes volume that we have enough to fear each other and that fear leads to hate but we do not have the love.  If you do not mind me going to the Bible on this, 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."  Fear has spread and continues to spread, now is the time for us to spread love.