So once again another young black man has been killed. I know some of his family, I didn’t know him…but that doesn’t matter. Apparently this young man was loved, I draw that conclusion from the outpouring of support and expressions of deep affection I saw on Facebook. I saw pictures of a handsome young man with a brilliant smile. His name was Mikyle… I learned his name from the numerous messages saying R.I.P. So now he is gone…one more in a long horrible list of young black men who are killed in the prime of their lives….and for what?
Of course people will talk. I’m gonna assume that at least some of what I heard is true…and it boils down to this – that young man died for nothing. An argument or disagreement, escalated into a fight, that ended in a death. Time and time again this keeps happening…we get sad, we get mad…we say STOP THE VIOLENCE…and yet nothing changes. Why?
I think it’s clear that the problem is complex, no one thing will fix this. However, we cannot as a society let the complexity or pervasiveness of the problem make us feel impotent against this scourge. We cannot as a society throw in the towel or develop apathy or a short memory. This problem persists because we let it persist. That cannot happen any more. One lost life affects the balance of our universe…we are all less than we could have been otherwise, every time a young person dies. Mikyle was a child of God, and now one more of God’s children is gone…for nothing.
Any day now there will be a wake, and then a funeral. A mother will endure the unspeakable pain of burying her child. People will cry, and scream in agony. People will say wonderful things about Mikyle…and in time a lot of people will forget. Not because they don’t care, it’s just what happens. They will move on to other things, and face the challenges and even joys of their own lives. But here’s the thing…WE CANNOT AFFORD TO FORGET! We must as a society…as a community remember the pain of this loss and collectively vow to fight against the violence that took Milyle’s young life.
So what’s the answer? We must have outrage when violence or for that matter any kind of anti-social and destructive behaviour is displayed. We must stand up for goodness, patience, self control, forgiveness, generosity…and most importantly love. We must teach young boys how to feel anger, but not act out in anger. We must teach young boys that to have hurt feelings is not ‘soft’…and we need to allow young boys, young men, and even grown men to feel all of their emotions. We have got to instill in our youth that real strength includes being willing and able to walk away from conflict. Somehow it has gotten cool to be a thug…truth be told you can be quite popular with the ladies if you’re a bad ass. I can go on an on…and I will at another time.
For now I say for us all…let’s dig down deep and connect with the divinity in all of us and find the resolve to rise above and conquer this madness. Let’s use our creativity, power, and resourcefulness…let’s use our compassion and most of all love for each other…and frankly love for oursleves, to find our way to a place where we no longer say the sickening and all too familiar words Rest In Peace to a young person lost to violence.
To the families of Mikyle, all those lost before him, and those yet to come…please know that you are in the hearts, minds and prayers of many. May you find strength in the love and support of family and friends you know…and those who wish you well from a far. God Bless you.
To save our children…I am ready to fight for that…I hope you are too. Stay tuned.
Stay Fly and Fly High
KLH
