So Much More Than #BlackLivesMatter; But This Begins The Conversation...

I recently had a conversation with a friend who was appalled by the fact that each time black America makes an attempt to bring about civil justice, we are often overshadowed by other "causes" that adopt our stance as their own.  This bandwagon mentality seemingly allows others to water down the importance of our initial message, and then, point the finger back at us as if we are being insensitive to their rights.  

A perfect example of this is the #BlackLivesMatter movement that - for a while - held social significance in the minds of America.  Now, there are so many #LivesMatter campaigns out there that the poignant facts of the original campaign have suddenly been singled out as counterproductive and separatist.  Instead of focusing on the disproportionate number of black lives lost to police brutality, we now have to acknowledge that #BrownLivesMater, #BlueLivesMatter, #RedLivesMatter and #YellowLivesMatter as well.  

Actually, #AllLivesMatter.  But, it is necessary at this point in history to focus on the inequalities that plague police - minority relationships while we have national attention. 

No matter which #LivesMatter approach we use to start the conversation, the end results should be the same: 1) Better police - community relationships, 2) End racial / class profiling, and 3) Mandatory external review of all officer involved shootings.  Better governance of police interactions may lead to the necessary changes to the laws that continually allow these injustices to continue.  In short, some laws must be added to the "books" that police the police. 

#BlueLivesMatter: Yes, intensive psychological reviews and treatment of PTSD for our men in blue must be in place as well.  Then, we'll need more community interaction, intervention training, and a serious dialogue between police and the communities hey protect.  We must acknowledge that there is loss on both sides of this situation, but, in order to fix the problem, we, first, have to agree to speak about what brings us to this "table" of communication.

May Your Haters Motivate Your Success

Now, I've finally "got it"...
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For the last eight months, I have been wrestling with an onslaught of accusations at work that were attempts to diminish my character.  I have been called into repeated meetings and falsely accused of starting scuttlebutt among my peers.  Defenseless, I willfully accepted the few indiscretions I had made as "passing jokes" and, as always, accepted my ownership of any misgivings.
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You see, I am the culmination of all the teachings in my life.   My mother raised nine honest children.  She taught us that the best way to resolve a situation was to accept your faults and work on improving them.  Later in life, the military taught me to neither accept nor offer  excuses; resolve problems quickly by identifying the issues and eradicating the cause.  More recently, as a business owner, I have taught myself the skills of "poka-yoke"; a Japanese term that means "mistake proofing".  This means that I look for issues on the onset of a solution and, then, mistake-proof my next steps.
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All of this "mental conditioning"; however, could not prepare me for the obvious deceptions of others who only seek to gain for themselves.