The strength of kindness in the fight for social justice

I am devastated by the act of cruelty that ended the life of George Floyd last May 25th in Minneapolis, US. The uprisings that followed are something inevitable, I would say, given the social schism and extreme inequality made obvious with the Covid-19 pandemic, and fostered by the attitudes of many which do not promote social dialogue. 

It is a mistake to think that these are other neighborhoods, other people... another country. This is happening everywhere: in Chile, in Spain, in Mexico, in Minneapolis, and it affects us all. ML King Jr. said that injustice in one place is a threat to justice everywhere. All of this, in my opinion, describes, beyond the brutality of one person, the character of our times.

Thinking that we do not have any impact on this hatred and this unjust system is equally a mistake, as it means giving up our personal search for health, happiness and peace, which is a possible dream. My proposal here includes defending the impact of kindness, and bringing it to how we relate to ourselves, others, and our world: kindness with the person,  categorically disapproving and attempting to correct the despicable actions, kindness that understands and possibly redeems the actors. "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend" are also words of ML King Jr.

I am convinced that the true enemy is not white supremacist/sexist/homophobic, etc. power but power itself, the obsession with  power, an "eye for an eye" strategy that attempts to resolve problems with violence. Many suggest that there is no other way. Despite we often repeat that "violence begets violence", we practice intolerance with those that are intolerant. We allow ourselves to become violent, or our words and attitudes do, for a noble cause, and we fill our chest filled with rightful rage. This is ignorance, the same ignorance that killed George Floyd.

If it is ignorance, it can be informed, transformed, improved, yes, with KINDNESS. We start by practicing it with ourselves and with those who grunt and, perhaps some day, with those who kill. It is kindness, love, the only force that will bring justice, as ML King Jr. suggested and practiced. Some propose to educate our children in values of peace and justice but forget that it is also possible and necessary to train ourselves, if only to be able to better educate them.

There are people who have called me naive, an idealist, and even a charlatan, for having this opinion and, sometimes, making mistakes when I put it in practice. Mistakes are inevitable but don't make this proposition incorrect.  However, I believe that it is actually those who defend attitudes and actions seeking revenge the ones without their feet on the ground. They do not see how they contribute to the problem we are trying to solve, leading us inevitably to annihilation. "Eye for an eye" and the world will go blind.

I feel sad but I do have peace of mind, I have the mental clarity that George Floyd tragically cannot access anymore, possibly. It was also ML King Jr. who said "unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant".

Thank you for reading and putting up with my blogs, thus practicing kindness with me. ️️