What do I tell them? Conclusion

“Maybe it’s time to get uncomfortable…”

– Amber Ruffin, comedy writer, African American

Nothing is easy…

African American people cry for 'justice.' White Americans cry for 'order.'

What makes white Americans think that our brethren of color do not want both. Do we think African Americans somehow are immune to the chaos that surrounds so many of their lives? Do we suppose violence and the knee of injustice will solve anything? Our society has substantial problems laid bare by the public killings of young black people. There are no cavalier slogans here. Black lives do matter!

What about law and order? Like the criminal looters, it is easy to paint all police with a broad-brush stroke of unthinking brutality. The killings we see every day in the media are heart-sickening. There is no excuse. Yet, little airtime is given to Chiefs of police and officers of the law who have held hands and knelt with the protesters.

Additionally, as we have cut community resources, police departments have been given the task of managing mental health issues, truancy, substance abuse, and homelessness. This is not what public safety was meant to be, nor do police officers receive adequate training to manage these complicated social issues.

More in common than not...

Is it so hard to see that all of us are passengers on the same vessel of humanity? Quotes of spiritual leaders codified in the cloth of religion, drip from our tongues, but do we apprehend? Christ (and others) said, “Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they turn [from their sin]…” (Mark 4:12).  

Rather than resist our differences, should we not embrace them? Isn’t variety the lesson of nature? None of us is exactly the same, nor should we be. Embracing our differences gives us strength. Jonathan Sacks, in Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence, writes, “If we were completely unalike, we would be unable to communicate. If we were completely alike, we would have nothing to say.”

We are NOT completely different, and we are NOT completely alike. Our founding fathers added this motto to the Great Seal of the United States in 1782, “E Pluribus Unum” – Out of many, one. It represented separate states working together as a unified nation. Diversity with the singular goal of a more perfect union…a metaphor for all mankind.

Sadly, without spiritual insight we will continue to repeat the cycle of separation and division, as we have in the past, unable to escape the tribal prison to which we belong.

Is there a point here?

This piece began by asking, “…what will I tell my young Hispanic, African American, Asian, and white students about the summer of 2020? What do I tell them about their hopes and aspirations for a life in this country?”

I don't need to tell them they face inequity and racial and cultural injustice by a system that has oppressed generations of people, robbing them of rights as citizens of this great land. They know this.

To be frank, I don't know what to say that has not already been said, so I will exercise a process to cultivate their academic interests and gain their trust.

The first is to learn each student’s name at our first meeting. From then on, I welcome and personally address them. Names are powerful icons.

The second is to say what a privilege it is to be in the presence of so many corporate executives. The general response? Blank stares.

I say, "Each of you is the president and CEO of a very valuable company [pause for a beat] You! In your life, you will never work for anyone other than yourself, no matter what job you take or who pays you. For your company to be successful, you must represent it in the best possible way. It is you – your character and work ethic – that will be remembered, for better or worse, not the job you take. It is important for you to understand that in this world, very few people will care about you. You have to care about you!”

After that idea sinks in a little, I ask this question, "Who is better than you?" They always look confused with expressions that belie, “Now what is this guy talking about?”

After a few seconds, I say, “You have waited way too long. If nobody has ever told you, I'm telling you now. No one is better than you and you need to believe it. [pause for a beat] You also are not better than anyone else. And by the way, your answer to this question should be automatic because it is the truth.”

The following list is not part of the curriculum for anatomy and physiology but ideas informally sprinkled from time to time during the semester when the opportunity arises.

-      You are NOT your thoughts. You have them.

-      Examine your minds. It is the most rewarding and challenging thing you will ever do.

-      You have meaning – you count!

-      Making things better takes hard work – do the work!

-      Find and spend time with people that will help build ‘your company.’ Stay away from people who tear it and others down.

At the end of the semester, the shortlist will include:

-      Be a good farmer. Plant life-promoting words in others whenever you can.

-      Don’t just think about the career you want to build, but the kind of person you want to be.

-      The future belongs to you. Don’t let anyone take it from you.

I will encourage them to find their path however large or small, contributing to the fabric of humanity. "Ex Unius, Multi" (out of one, many)...because we are our brother’s keeper!

The last words they will hear as they are dismissed and just before they walk out the door for the last time, "What I'm about to say is not what most instructors tell their students. Thank you for this journey, and being a part of my mind and heart.”

“Be safe - I love you guys…"

- ted