The Truth is Black & White

I’ve been putting off an iPad problem. Finally admitting defeat, I head to the West County mall Apple Store. The next available Genius Bar appointment is in a hour, so I put my name in and went with my 14 year old daughter to the food court. As we get our Philly cheesesteaks and sit down, Hanna notices about fifty police officers coming through the food court entrance into the mall.

“They are probably getting lunch before they head downtown” I quickly state as I see Hanna start to get worried. Then they came. Hundreds of angry protestors chanting and yelling through the food court. Several are wearing ski masks and jumping around, antagonizing the shop owners, while others simply march with signs.

“Why are they doing this?” Hanna asked. I had explained the day before about the verdict, so she knew the situation, but her question was why are they here, now, in the mall. I told her that when people see something in their world that they don’t feel is right, there is something inside us that gets upset. That anger you have in the face of injustice is God given, and we need to act on that to help make this world a better place.

Hanna had come with Lisa and I to protest outside of Planned Parenthood before. I reminded her of what that was like. That we felt that there was something wrong going on, and our way of standing up against it, was to stand with signs and pray outside of the facility. The conversation then went to “What about when things get violent, or set on fire?” I tell her that our faith helps guide us here, and hurting others, stealing or vandalizing, even if it is in the name of what you feel is a greater good, is wrong.

So I think I’ve helped take this stressful situation and turned it into a great lesson for my kid. Then she drops the bomb on me in the car as we are leaving the parking lot, “Dad, how do you know if you’re right or not?” Well, ummm, you see Hanna…..

If I’m being honest, I don’t think I spend enough time on that critical point. It’s easy for us to have our past experiences shape our opinion of things. Often when we see a situation, we assume we know the truth and begin to gird our loins for battle. When both sides of the argument with the Shockley verdict were asked, “Have you read the 30 page summary of the judge’s decision and reason for his verdict?” The answer was usually no. “Have you watched the video footage of the event, to see for yourself what happened that day? It’s available on YouTube” Again, very few had done that work.

I wonder if it is because we want this tragedy to be evidence that supports our already well defined point of view. We care more about our agenda, then we do about justice and truth. As I’m working though this on the car ride home (with my still broken iPad in tow), I start thinking about situations in my own life, where I make this same mistake. Where do I gloss over the specifics, because I’ve already decided the version of truth that best suits me. I can't help but think of how many times I avoid digging into the teachings of the Catholic Church because I’ve already come up with my own interpretation that makes me more comfortable.

One thing I am confident of is that Jesus doesn’t want your blind faith. He wants your convicted faith. When you have absolute truth in your corner, you encourage research, because you are confident where it will lead. I need to have more zeal for getting at the truth, and assume less that a situation proves my point.

It pains me to see my beloved city have yet another racial scar, on a landscape so full of them. I have been witness to so much love and community here in St. Louis. We have some healing to do and some breakdowns in communication and trust that needs divine intervention. However, my teachable moment with Hanna has proven to be God’s lesson for me. Endeavor to find the truth, and follow it wherever it may lead you.