It would be a rare person in the USA who did not know about the verdict in the Zimmerman trial for the killing of Trayvon Martin. The reason for that is not just the media covering the trial; the hunger for justice in the hearts and minds of the people has been focused on this case from the time we first heard about it.
Justice delayed is justice denied
Feelings are running hot about the verdict — as are the outside temperatures! Some groups and individuals, who may be identifying with one side of the case, may be feeling victimized. Others who identify more with the defendant may be feeling relief. The one thing few people are feeling is safe, or truly free from fear.
As individuals, we cannot change what happens with anyone but ourselves. We can influence events and decisions, and we can join with others to try to create outcomes that align more perfectly with some ideal we hold. And those are all good things. But we cannot change the verdict in this case any more than we can change what happened to bring this case to trial.
What drives us all to take desperate action is fear, pure and simple. And fear, when you break it down, is:
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real.
That’s all.
In my opinion? That’s what happened in this case, from the moment Zimmerman decided to pursue Martin, until the gun was fired, and until the verdict was read. This is about so much more than racial profiling, fairness, violence, and the law.
Underneath fear is the truth. When we bother to look. And that’s more than half the solution.
What seemed missing in this trial was the ability to seek out and speak for that truth. Not the obvious truth, but the hidden truths beneath it all. That, and a voice for the weakest in our society. The voice for what is fair for everyone. We didn’t hear that voice, and surely not as clearly as we ought.
When individuals are able — and willing — to step aside from the powerful emotions that would lock us into actions we will regret, then and only then can we connect with others to create just and fair solutions for everyone.
Each of us owns that work. Each of us is response-able for it. And it’s only when all of us can and WILL behave in this way, that so many tragedies can be avoided.
To the extent that we tackle the pain and face it head to toe, from the inside out, that is the precise extent to which we will find and commit to solutions that truly work. To the extent that we fail to do it? That’s the depth of misery we will perpetuate.
Just writing a blog post won’t change things. But when ALL of us tell our stories, write our words, find constructive ways to express our outrage and anger — then we can see the open hearts around us, and connect with them to do what we must.
We must first identify and face our own pain. And then we must work to heal it at the source.
From the strength we gain in that healing, we will know what to do, how to bring that healing, into the greater society in which we live. We will not heal it by bringing the anger. Or the fear. We have all had way too much of that already and found it wanting.
My words may not heal the wounds you feel about this case, about what happened then, and what could happen tomorrow. But it’s all I have to help us all heal. It’s all I have to help myself remember HOW to heal, which is what I must do for myself in the ways that the Zimmerman trial wounds me personally.
I will do what I can not to contribute to more suffering. This I can do.
There are some other ways I can help, too, in addition to recommending the serious work that we all need to do for ourselves as witness to this kind of suffering, and by our actions or silence perpetuating it. Here are some tools I use that can help you, too. I’d like to share them with you.
1) To clear the negative energy within you, use the liquid version of the sacred herbs indigenous peoples have traditionally used for centuries. It removes negativity, uplifts your spirits, and helps keep your mind and heart in a positive space. You can take this safely with you anywhere., and you can order it here.
2) Use flower essences to help you heal the anger, the pain, or the fear — or any combination of them you may be feeling. The flowers hold patterns to bring you to a higher level of consciousness, beyond the muck and mire of suffering. Find out more here and get stocked up with formulas that can make a difference in how well you can recover from what happens to you and around you — and within you.
I’d also recommend that people take the Break Away flower essence formula, because it helps you find healthy release, trustworthy people, and how to know the right action to take — how to LIVE in right action. You can get that here.
Finally, as hard as it seems, strive especially during stressful times to be your very best. Be the person your dog or cat thinks you are! (That may sound silly or irreverent — but trust me, it works.) Don’t act out of your pain or frustration — act IN to your heart, and let it lead you.
Finally I feel compelled to say that, as a white person, I cannot presume to know what a person of color knows, feels, or experiences. All I can do is to say that as a human being I am deeply offended by racism, by systems that are truly unfair, and that I care and I am dedicated to do what I can to help make things right for BIPOC and all other oppressed communities. I can listen to the voices of our brothers and sisters in distress, and take appropriate action to relieve that pain in ways that actually matter.
I’d love to hear your comments on this subject — but please, for all our sakes, let it be respectful. I will approve and reply to thoughtful and heartfelt comments to this article. The others? Deleted. This writer and business owner has a clear policy: This is a hate-free zone. Just want you to know that 🙂
Thank you for contributing to the solutions — and for not adding to the chaos.