The World's Common Tater

It is a beautiful day out today. I did some yard work and should force myself to go sit on my deck and read. Instead, I finished a TV show and have scrolled through the TV guide multiple times. I keep looking at social media even though it is a depressing world out there.

Pandemic

Another black man killed by the police.

Protests throughout the country

It’s hard to find hope when the world seems hopeless.

We’re supposed to go back to “work” tomorrow and pretend like life is OK and we have the mental capacity to be productive.

If I feel this way when I live a life of privilege, I can’t imagine what life is like for someone who fears for their lives in what should be safe situations.

We are broken and I have lost hope that it will ever change.

There are way too many people who are happy with the status quo because the status quo works for them.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I longed to return to normal, but I am now awake to the fact that normal was not a good place to be.

Normal was a world where a black man can be gunned down for jogging. Normal was a world where a black man can be killed by police for no reason. Normal was a world where we hate each other because of our politics. Normal is a world where people are hated for being themselves and loving who they love.

Why do I want to go back to that?

I want to go back to something better.

I want to go back to a world where we come together during tragedy instead of becoming more divided.

I want to go back to a world where the color of your skin does not make the world an unsafe place.

I want to go back to a world where people can be who they are without fear.

I want to go back to a world where you can love who you love without fear.

Normal was overrated.

We can be better.