On current events…racism is a terrible thing but I see people sharing all the negative stories about LEOs and nothing positive. This does not help the situation! Now people are blocking LEOs and FDs from situations where they are truly needed; putting innocent bystanders at risk!
I myself have had several reasons not to trust cops. Twice I have been pulled over, only to have the LEO to back pedal quickly once they realized I was not alone, which led me to believe the pullover was bogus, and on the part of the LEO for personal intimidation leading to nefarious means.
I am also very cautious when I do get pulled over because a man impersonating a LEO killed 3 women in my area as a teen; with one of the bodies being found months later 1/4 mile from my parents house by a hunter. So I definately have trust issues about LEOs.
The situation in the US is highly volatile yet having lived there I can say I have lost the shell shock of these such incidents. They have happened many times over my years there so while it despairs me, it also does not hold the shock value it did when I was a teen and first moved to the US. I have seen too many incidents with people afterwards rejoicing in the incident itself, looting stores, mistreating their own neighbors that I have little hope for the human condition to really change itself.
I find that the bigger the public response is with marches and propoganda, the less change seems to happen. People go back home and go back to their same lives, feeling they have done what needed to be done. And they think little of changing thenselves and changing the conditions in their own neighbourhood, village, town etc.
Perhaps because I have always worked in services, I have seen the more personal sides of peoples lives. Been their confidant, shoulder to cry on and own personal ‘bartender’ when they weren’t the type to frequent one. I have seem more than the usual share of human lives and have always tried to help change theirs if I can, even if it was just giving of my time to a lonely person.
This is where we can help change things, by giving our time to people in our communities; by seeing the human condition a little more closely, one learns to judge the surface less and look more at the person. Compassion and empathy tends to grow stronger when you learn to judge less.
There is a lot of truth to the saying “Eyes are the mirrors of the soul” for the eyes truly do open your ability to communicate with one another. A person can smile but it’s the eyes that tell you whether its a real smile or faked. Sometimes people will refer to a childs eyes as the eyes of an old soul and sometimes that is so true; children see a lot more than one realizes and sometimes have seen far more than one would want them to.
As the world turns rapidly around us, We all need to look inwards and reflect in how we view one another and how we view others may have changed lives for the better or worse. How often do we let our own personal experiences colour how we view everybody we meet? Or judge other based on how they judge us?
I get nervous by flashing police lights- do I ignore them or try to avoid them? No, I pull over and if they stop behind me, have often explained to them my nervousness, which usually creates a better base for us to work from. Most are very understanding and it allows them insight into future experiences and how they can handle things differently.
We all say “Don’t judge a book by its cover” yet right now many are judging all LEOs by their cover. As protests turn violent, do not judge the LEOs by their riot gear, judge the fact that they are human and have families too-families that want them home safe yet they have chosen to uphold the law and will wear what they need to protect themselves from lawbreakers. Remember that they are scared too, because a select few broke the rules they were sworn to uphold and now they are viewed as less than human.
While I am not a religious person I find the words of Psalm 23 turn over in my mind for in its words there is true meaning; that both sides of this conflict could draw strength and meaning from and be united in knowing that the meaning is the same from different perspective. Let this conflict not divide us more but unify us!
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

“Uniter”
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations