Who Do You Think You Are?

my brother and i got into a fight and stopped talking. while i have no recollection as to what started the conflict, i remember its end; my brother asked “who do you think you are?”

i confessed to him that i was a horrible person. he was disarmed. he believed that my offending actions were rooted from a sense of self-righteousness; that any act i did- inappropriate or neglectful- was done from goodness. he perhaps believed that i thought that i was better person than he was. i told him that i am poorly flawed and that everydays all i can to is try to improve and become a better person.

being a good person is a project. it involves continual learning, observation, and practice. it does not come naturally. we are not born as vessels of goodness; rather, we are vessels that can be filled with goodness through learning values, morals and ethics.

a nyu college student’s foolish act and her response provides insight into this contention. she, along with two others, according to reports, ripped down pictures of israeli hostages from a wall apparently at the school. this woman- biracial- apparently based her action on confusion and deception. she wrote: “i have found it increasingly difficult to know my place as a biracial brown woman, especially during these highly volatile times.” “i have felt more and more frustrated about the time we currently find ourselves in, and that misplaced anger into actions that are not an accurate representation of who i am as a person.” nypost.com

she, like many others, when caught, decry that their actions are not accurate representations of their person. the current middle east conflict’s divisiveness was a rorshach test for one’s soul.

while i do not intend to question her sincerity, i believe that she, and others who have engaged in such actions or wild diatribe, must question their belief as to who they are as a person, i.e. do they believe that they are all knowing perfection? perhaps, if she stepped back and appreciated her flaws, she would then be able to move on with her life by taking the time to become a better person. her foolish action, she must accept, was the product of herself. she should not attempt to deny it. rather, she should embrace it and realize that she needs some work on her character. she should be a consumer of many resources and information. she should explore the views of the side she wished to erase and discard. one of the questions she should ask is “why did she and her colleagues choose to “destroy” a memorial for victims of a crime against humanity rather than build a memorial of those innocent that are suffering in gaza?”

be well!!

in this world, there are those who choose the “burn baby burn” attitude. they seek to destroy institutions, destroy history and destroy human dignity. there are others who take flames and envision them in a positive fashion. they view fire as a spark that can be shared to englighten others.