Sean explains 2020
(my thoughts on the year that defined an era)
That time that I wrote my thoughts for 2020 on NYE, lemme know what you think!
Congratulations, while it may be bittersweet, you survived a full year in a pandemic. Relying solely on your faith in The Creator and prayer. Whether you know it or not, in those dark moments when nobody else was around and you became what you thought was weak, and you explained your fear of aspects of this year to G-D; and prayed for safety, it is my firm belief, albeit my own and not the standard for belief, that Baruch HASHEM, your prayers were answered. We have all suffered loss this year, no persons, greater than another, which means we all know how the need for compassion feels. Next Year, like Tomorrow, 2021, I pray that in all of our endeavors we proceed with compassion for our neighbors and treat them as our own and make no distinction. In the book Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman, He explains that “Neighborliness is non-spatial, it’s qualitative.” It is in this spirit, that we should use this new year as an opportunity to change the status quo as it pertains to human rights and dignity; and it is imperative that we endow those that have been marginalized with opportunities to provide success in endeavors that have a positive impact on the community.
Going forward we must call out instances of oppression, no matter how small. If every person feels that it is their right given by The Great Architect Of The Heavens and Earth, to exist in peace, then unfairness can no longer be tolerated. For 437 years this piece of land has endured various attacks on people who have pronounced melanin in their pigmentation, after this year we just had, one may inquire, “when does it stop?” Politically, it does not matter what side you claim to belong to, because of their storied history of whatever idealistic thing that you agree with, they have all been complicit in the infliction of maltreatment of these same people. All of these transgressions have been accepted under the idea that, “at least things are getting better!” They are and have not, in the last 80 years, the prison rate has exploded from around 400,000 to well over 2 Million and over 43% of them are from the aforementioned demographic.
Whoa, that got dark kind of quick, my apologies, I came to uplift you going into this Next Year, like Tomorrow, 2021. In the coming year, there is important legislation at the local, state and federal levels that must be passed to provide basic human rights to the citizens of our nation. In previous years we thought that we had all of the time in the world to chip away at the ball of freedom that hangs over the head and just out of reach of the marginalized, when small sprinkles of freedom that those that wield the power enjoy trickle down, the expectation is that one should be grateful that they got an opportunity to at least experience that. This idea in my opinion (see previous disclaimer), is illogical as it pertains to self-thought and relation to the outside world. If your expectation is that these small things should be celebrated and your position is one of power, one must ultimately consider the juxtaposition. If you watched people enjoy every freedom imaginable and complain whenever their freedoms are encroached upon and expect a sympathetic response. But, these same people tell you to take what you can get, it would render itself impossible to believe that the party in view could deal in fairness based solely on the fact they have exhibited a thought process that leans toward partiality. Therefore, any people in these positions, no matter of political party or status in the community or relation to the community, should be immediately recommended for suspension of public service as they pose a risk to the overall safety of the community.
Remember that moment that you felt like giving up and something told you to keep going, that “voice inside of you”, I recently read that, that was the thing that got our ancestors through their fear of death even in the face of relatives and friends being punished by an unjust system. That is the faith in G-D, that thing is the blueprint to teach us that we can make it through anything as long as we have faith in G-D.
Ok, honestly, I have finished with that part, let’s honestly talk about Next Year, like Tomorrow, 2021. Immo get a little spiritual real quick, you know me! You wouldn’t be receiving this letter if you didn’t. Im Yirtze HASHEM (G-D Willing), may our years henceforth be filled with good will toward all of our neighbors, local and otherwise. May our thoughts and actions lean toward righteousness and repairing this broken world. B’ezrat HASHEMm (With G-D’s help), may we be all gathered from the far corners of the Earth, both in spirit and in person to do good service from this day forward. AMEN!
A few years from now, when you are asked, how did Sean ask for change, you can honestly say on the last day of 2020, he asked if everyone could change starting, NEXT YEAR, TOMORROW YOU KNOW 2021. May blessings follow you into the new year and beyond. Happy New Year!
-Sean
