SUNDAYS WITH JASON

“Peoples is peoples,” said a wise man. At first I had no idea what it meant or why he said it. This Italian-born resident of Manhattan, in his mid-fifties was trying to convey the message that “we are all the same”; a sweet message behind his garlicky breath. He runs a successful diner in Little Italy and is another example of the American Dream. American Dream, what’s that? Is it not the hope that we can take our differences in our cultures or ethnicities or religious beliefs and use them for our betterment? After all, aren’t our stories and our personalities that are the very fibers of what makes us special? A story: one of the most technically skilled American Chefs was put in a challenge with a young woman from Texas. After the competition was over and the Texan emerged the winner, the Chef was dying to know what he did wrong. The judges simply stated, “It was the passion and determination we found in her dish.” It didn’t matter how schooled he was, her desire to do what she loves became a tangible ingredient and the key to her victory. The idea that passion and drive can take you anywhere is not just the American dream; it’s the American way.

Nothing, NOTHING, makes anyone any better than anyone. Our education, job, income, race, gender; these things don’t define us as humans. After all, without them we are still living, breathing people with red blood coursing through blue veins. Our passions and our dreams, these things inspire us to do what we believe we are here to do. That is what separates us and what makes us different, in a good way.

It is incredibly sad when I read a story about a hate crime in my backyard. This is Lorain County, a multi-cultural, multi-race community. We range from the nations poorest people to multi-millionaires. Ohio has been a haven for minorities since the days of the Underground Railroad. Yet, I have been burdened to hear the news of 2 maliciously racist acts on 2 separate occasions. Now obviously we are living in an imperfect world, we cannot expect everyone to have the same ideals or standards and in all honesty, this world be a boring place if we all shared the same brain. But there is a difference between not loving someone the way God made them and hating someone for that very reason. These 2 stories remind me of how ignorant and uninspired some of our youth are. The age of technology keeps them bubbled up into their own little world without a prayer of being able to conduct themselves with dignity in any situation that makes them uncomfortable.

I don’t care who you are or what you believe, but in return I ask the same from you. You don’t have to like me or where I came from, but you do have to leave me alone. There is no room in this world for senseless, evil, racist malice. If you can’t get used to the fact that the skin tones of this world are not all shining of alabaster, then pick up your stakes and hike to Antarctica.

It will always be this way, but it doesn’t make it right. If Hitler had eradicated the world of Jews, would he have been satisfied? No, he probably would have started going through everyone else and picking out people by hair color, eye color, I.Q., social status, etc. Because evil is never without its lust for blood and destruction.

I pray the offenders here are brought to justice and that the victims would be strong and hopeful for better days. There are people in this community who care less about what you look like and more about who you desire to be.

“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people,

but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

Here’s to change, and hastily!

Jason