Depressed, Saddened, Scared, Worried, etc.

Yesterday it felt as though the end of the world was just around the corner.  I always have a slight worry about terrorists in the back of my mind but have never seriously given thought to how everyday people may just destroy our society.

The last few days have been hell for our neighbor, the United States.  There have been killings by cops and cops that were killed, riots and hatred screamed from all sides, and even threats of a race war.  My heart goes out mostly to the good and decent cops who are now targets for thugs who use any excuse to kill a cop.  How the heck does their family handle watching them go to work in the morning knowing there are people out there looking for a cop to kill?

I'm white so I only know of the black experience by what I see, hear, or read about.  I know there is still rampant prejudice against people of color and I don't see that disappearing any time soon.  But what I also know is that not all black people react by rioting and killing police officers.  Most are regular people who go to school, work, attend church, and raise their families.  They fight discrimination in their own way, maybe the way Martin Luther King did...with dignity and determination to make this world a better place for people of all skin colors.

Unless this recent mess is brought under control, more innocent people will suffer and that's the shame of it all.  A few actual criminals will be caught and spend jail time but more unlucky bystanders will pay the price for a riotous few.  

Killing a police officer in retaliation for the actions of another makes no sense at all.  Killing someone because of the color of their skin makes no sense, either.  And this is what we've witnessed the past few days in the States.

Marching in protest sends a message.  Rioting, looting, and destruction soils the message that should be sent.  There is a real problem here that needs to be addressed and it is foolish for the people most affected (blacks) to come across as thugs instead of as decent people who demand change.  

I don't see change coming fast enough but there is a real difference in our society today for black people than there was 50 years ago.  That's not saying much and there's lots more that needs to be done, of course, but societal change doesn't come quickly.  It evolves over time and education.  

I love what Russell Peters, Canadian/Indian comedian, said.  He said that, in the future, everyone will be beige...and he's already beige.  Now I've always wanted to be beige but I was born too early so I'm stuck with pale and freckled.

Yesterday I was losing hope but today is another day and I hope a better one.