A Path Forward

My heart is as heavy as it has been in quite some time as I sit on my couch tonight typing these words. Some advised against me speaking with any depth regarding this situation for fear of what it might mean to my political future. But as I sit here tonight, I simply cannot be silent.

Our country is broken.

The United States of America is being ripped apart at the seams.

In the last 48 hours, I have watched as a young, healthy black man with his whole life ahead of him was murdered in broad daylight by men charged with protecting and serving him.

And in some sort of “response” to this injustice, I have also seen footage tonight showing a pack of young men, black and white, taking the life of a man simply attempting to protect his own property.

Two men who should be alive today, but aren’t. And why?

Because we are broken.

Brokenness is a vulnerability many of us have experienced personally. Most of us recover and move past it. Some don’t.

But brokenness of this magnitude and shared collectively by so many is not something we have been forced to confront as a nation very often.

Politicians thrive on conflict. We’d rather tell you why the other side is wrong than to tell you why we are right.

I will not spend these moments assigning blame. To do so simply prolongs the time until we find a meaningful path forward.

For me, the question cannot be “who can I blame for why we are here?”

The question must be “how can we possibly move forward, past this moment, to a new one? A better one.”

Undoubtedly we all are to blame for the chasm that has formed over time between us. The protests, some organized and peaceful and some designed to cause chaos, aren’t just the response to the unprovoked, brutal murder of George Floyd. They are the continued development and evolution of a deeply-held contempt that our various “sides” have formed against each other in recent years.

Part of this is political. But part of it is not.

Everything has become “us versus them.” It’s easy to blame this on how partisan our nation has become. But there is something deeper. Something that I have sensed for quite some time, but still haven’t entirely been able to put my finger on.

Here are a few things that I can say with certainty:

— I have no idea what it feels like to be a black person living in modern-day America. And while I would want to believe that our nation has moved beyond the abhorrence of racism that was once commonplace in America, there are moments in time where an action or event causes me to understand that belief is simply not reality.

We have to do better here. Our nation was built on a reality rooted in the Holy Scripture’s acknowledgement that everyone is precious in the eyes of God. Put in more formal terms — that all men are created equal, and that they are deserving of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

George Floyd’s life and liberty were taken from him. That is a stain on our country’s fabric that we will never fully wash away, but must diligently attempt to anyway.

— Peaceful protests are beautiful and patriotic. Rioting and looting are not.

I have watched with tears in my eyes as police captains and sheriffs have walked arm in arm with protestors to lift up the issues our nation is wrestling with.

I have also watched as some young people, many of whom have been coddled into a belief that consequences for actions don’t exist, have wreaked havoc on local communities simply for the sake of havoc. Small business have been destroyed. Livelihoods ruined. And no one is better off for it.

— And finally…we will get through this. It’s going to be painful, and we are all going to have to confront some harsh realities that we would have preferred to have ignored before these events began.

But we can’t give up on this beautiful experiment of America. Because to give up on that would be to give up on each other. Our friends and our neighbors. Our classmates. Our teammates. Our loved ones.

We must press forward driven by a few, simple guiding principles.

Respect.
Humility.
Perseverance.

These qualities mark any good leader. And they will mark our path forward.

Martin Luther King Jr. famously said “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

Our country needs something transformational. And if you are counting on government to be the source of that transformation, you will undoubtedly be left disappointed and angry.

The change cannot begin at the top. It has to begin at the ground level. At the surface. With you and I. Individuals, families and communities willing to have tough conversations to achieve real change.

Don’t pretend like the problems don’t exist.
Don’t be content to blame “the other guy” for the mess.
Don’t assume you can’t be the change.

I am committed to being a part of the change. Maybe a small piece of that change can come in the role I play in state government. But most of it will not. And I’m OK with that.

We are better than what we are today. I am certain of it.

God bless the family and friends of George Floyd.

God bless the thousands of law enforcement officers who give so much of themselves everyday to serve our communities.

And may God bless those struggling with their current reality, no matter their skin color or their circumstance.

“Sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5