The late humanitarian, civil rights leader, and orator, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We’ve learned to fly the air like birds, we’ve learned to swim the seas like fish, and yet we haven’t learned to walk the earth as brothers and sisters.” That profound statement rings just as true at this hour in our history as it did then.
Our daily news sources are ever replete with story after story of acts of hatred and violence that are taking place all across the nation. At almost every turn there seems to be civil unrest and upheaval. This feeling of uneasiness in society comes about because an individual or a group of people believe that they have suffered an injustice and the scales of justice are tipped for their opposition. Instead of seeking a peaceful resolution, an almost immediate “call to arms” is often sounded, and soon what perhaps started as small rumblings in the distance soon becomes a major storm.
Hatred towards another is a builder of walls and barriers that cause undue strife and division. It stifles any chance for reasoning and understanding, and alienates love completely. It receives its nourishment from unrelenting anger and pent-up frustration and has a disdain for people in general. To live at peace in this world requires the efforts of many, not just a few or the one. Respect is a reciprocated process. We cannot and should not expect others to give us due respect when we at every turn find ways to undermine, demean, disgrace, or utterly disrespect them.
Often we cannot see the proverbial forest because of the trees that impair our vision. We exert our energy in concentrating on what makes us different and fail to recognize the commonalities which should help to unite us as brothers and sisters. We may not agree on everything, but our differences should not cause us to become bitter and mortal enemies. We must be willing to lay down our “weapons of war” and learn to live together, learn from one another, and most of all love one another. At all cost, hatred should always be our foe, and never our friend. Hatred causes nothing but pain and misery, but love brings about final restoration and reconciliation. In any case, hatred does far more damage to the hater than it does to the hated. It is a cancer of the soul. It gives no peace and always demands justice.
Well-known music and singing sensation, Alex Boyé released a new music video on his YouTube channel on 28 July 2016 which encompasses the thoughts that this author has tried to express. The video opens with the words, “The inspiration for this video is based on one word. Acceptance.” The powerful message that this video conveys is found within its title “We All Bleed the Same (Healing America Edition), as well as throughout the video. The song is the title track of Alex’s new 6-song EP which was released on 29 July 2016. You can listen to the tracks on his Bandcamp page.
Speaking about his original song, Alex posted the following on his Facebook page on 29 July 2016:
I dedicate this song to any Latter-day Saint who experiences same-sex attraction who often feel caught in between two worlds and have received hurtful and insensitive things said to them by other saints.
I dedicate this song to the LGBT community who have to deal with emotional challenges at school, college, at work, and in their families.
I dedicate this song to people of disability who have and are still being bullied and mistreated for being who they are.
I dedicate this song to every person of color who is viewed as being less than equal to another due to the pigment of skin.
I dedicate this song to every Caucasian person who is automatically tainted with the same brush of racism because they are white.
I dedicate this song to every law enforcement officer who is wrongfully judged and even killed simply because of their uniform.
I dedicate this song to those who fight injustice everywhere especially when it’s unpopular to do so.
I dedicate this song to all those who are persecuted and murdered for their religious beliefs.
I dedicate this song to those who are ridiculed for supporting the constitution, who remind others of the part that says “ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
He ends his remarks by reminding us all that Love Still Conquers All! And indeed, we ALL bleed the same!
