People Can Change

 

I told this story last night to our eldest. About 12 years ago I was speaking with a friend, who.has known me coming up on 27 years. He's incredibly well-read. Liberal with a fiscally conservative view on government. Yes, a person can be Liberal and embracing equality for all, yet be fiscally conservative. We speak quite often about living off the grid. We repeat Percy Wells Cerruty's word, "Stotan". Live, train uninhibited and primitive. Living Spartan like as well. Especially, when in training for a race. Your whole life then is based on the race.

My friend understands A.I. emphatically. He has a medical license as well. He's been in show business decades ago. His family was involved in our government as he has been. 

None of our children have met him. Yet I speak to them about him as if he was their uncle. That's how tight he and I are. And so too was my husband. 

Last night we discussed that people given the chance can change at anytime they wish to. They need time to reflect alone, not coerced. And that being a reader has tremendous benefits if we allow our souls to remain open. I told our eldest that change is not necessarily about age. And so, in proving the point that was made to me years ago, I repeated the story that her 'pseudo' uncle told me.

He began, "So, my dad at age 85 stopped being bigoted towards black people." I nearly fell off my seat. "How?!" I asked. He continued. "We were invited to this wedding of my cousin's. It was my parents and I. My cousin was marrying the cousin of..." He says the name. I remarked, "Whoa! Famous! Wow!" I was absolutely stunned and we both felt it being a way cool thing.

He continued, "Yeah. So, my dad being bigoted, well he actually got along with everybody there. He had a great time. And he could not speak highly enough of the cousin and the family they'd married into."

I asked, "So, he just changed?" He replied, "Yeah." I asked, "What do you think happened to turn around a person at age 85? Especially, I have known that your dad was so well educated yet quite stubborn. What happened?"

He began, "I guess he realized the similarities between the families. He realized, that we all are human and feel the same, pain the same, panic the same, and can enjoy each other regardless of anything. And that his being bigoted prevented him from having relationships he'd never known. And never dreamed of. My dad could not stop talking about it afterwards. He became easier to deal with." 

After that conversation with my friend, I knew not all people could reach that epiphany. But perhaps there would be hope for key people in our country who needed such a 180 degree turnaround to get others to see others as themselves. 

I explained this to our eldest last night. I said, "When someone is murdered, there's less answers. If they are subjected to time in reflection as they heal and are forced to move in another direction then there's a chance for clearer thinking and change of heart.

I gave our eldest examples of politicians from Wallace to Abbott. I remarked, "You can be bitter or be better. You can change or remain the same. That's on the individual.." individual's attitudes make society whatever it was, is and becomes. ----Jody-Lynn Reicher