by 
(This article was drafted November 18th before the release of the Grand Jury’s findings.)
By any standard, the little St. Louis suburb of Ferguson is a pretty old town. Called Ferguson Station at its beginnings in 1854, it became the fourth-class city of Ferguson in 1894 with 1,000 residents. So we’re not talking about some 1950s-era suburb here. Ferguson was an enclave of well-to-do houses with owners who commuted into St. Louis on one of the eight trains a day that stopped there.
At the risk of appearing to simplify the struggles that the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson has been experiencing, I want to compare and contrast two themes.
The person who wears T-shirt A is exhibiting a fear that the person he’s talking to will shoot. The person who wears T-shirt B is exhibiting a fear that the person he’s talking to will loot. Statistically, these are both tiny possibilities. Yet the media tends to focus on these miniscule possibilities, so we follow suit.
I’m not going to rehash all the claims of all the participants. Suffice it to say everybody is in their Knower/Judger modes. Everybody knows what happened (even though it’s taking months for the Grand Jury to sort through all the data…and you might know that they’re waiting for the opportune time to release the finding to minimize the effect of the T-shirt B people). See where this leads? T-shirt A people know that T-shirt B people will loot. And T-shirt B people know that cops will shoot.
I’ve often written about how we tend to create our own reality. I’m not liking where this reality is heading.
If there ever was an opportune time for Ho’oponopono, it’s now.
I love you.
I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
Imagine these two T-shirts standing face-to-face on W. Florissant Avenue when the Grand Jury decision has just been released. In order to maintain order, one of these two Knower/Judgers is going to need to explore his doubt. Perhaps the young man did attack the police officer, who feared for his life. Or perhaps some of the forensic data did support the idea that the officer just shot him from 30 feet away. Presently, each side knows one of those positions.
One, if not both, of them must be inaccurate. Period. There are two directions the most offended party can take.
A. Cry “FOUL!” and take up arms against the other
or….
B. Consider that their own position might not be accurate and explore the data unfiltered by the blinding rage they feel
Which works better for humanity? Which works better for the lives and futures of the citizens of Ferguson?
I have faith. By the time you read this, I suspect we will all know if my faith is unfounded. Some things I think I know at the moment are that wearers of both T-shirts are gearing up for mass hysteria, with demands from protesters and planned responses by law enforcement. Could be just posturing. The media is lovin’ it. And they have no vested interest in the well-being of quaint little Ferguson, Missouri, or its residents and businesses.
Mr. “Don’t shoot”?
I love you.
I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
Mr. “Don’t loot”?
I love you.
I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
