I received the text on Saturday July 14, 2024 at 5:45 pm. “Trump got shot at.” I turned on my television and watched the replay of the assassination attempt. My immediate reaction was not concern for the welfare of the former President. Immediately my mind went to the state of our country. Silently, I have feared such an event could be possible in country. Events which are more common place in Third World countries and unstable nations, are slowly becoming more common place in our country.
In other places and other times I have written on the importance of civility. Civility is a necessary to resolve conflicts and develop actionable solutions which are in accordance with human flourishing and human decency. As a virtue, our ability to practice civility can be invigorated by reminding ourselves each individual and group with whom we have interaction possesses a rich dignity. Our human dignity is a reflection of the imago Dei and the possession of this dignity is not limited to social, economic, political, or religious affiliation rather such possession is the reality of all persons from conception. If we allow the richness of our humanity to mediate our conversations with each other, either face to face or on social media, imagine the possibilities for our small city, state, and nation. Assassination attempts, mocking the elderly for diminishing mental and physical health, destroying public and private property in order to gain a hearing, are all manifestations of a culture which has lost sight of human dignity and human flourishing. In our pursuit for such experiences like freedom, equality, equity, or justice, the easier and more damaging roads of verbal and physical violence are becoming the paths of choice. There is no courage or honor in those who have chosen to navigate the roads of incivility taking as many citizen with them towards a devastating crash. Sadly, such decisions are those of wandering men and women who have lost focus and meaning for life. Where are our eyes fixed as a nation? As human beings we are designed to move towards what our physical eyes have in sharp focus. As travelers need a fixed point or north star which will guide the navigational decisions, we as a nation need a fixed point. It is a fixed which assists our efforts in decision making regarding the best direction for our local communities, states, and nation. Civility, in my estimation needs to be the star to which we point. It is a star which does not consider gender, ethnicity, economic, or political class. Civility between citizens can offer a destination which will benefit as many individuals who are willing to take this road less traveled.
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The situation of men and women who are experiencing homeless in our state and across the nation has become more apparent since the pandemic of 2020. Individuals and families have fallen from situations of housing stability resulting from increased housing costs, medical problems, and an inability to find work commensurate to what was previously earned pre-pandemic. Men and women from various backgrounds are now in the lived experience of homelessness. In the state of Arkansas, 2,459 persons experience homelessness, finding some form of relief within either emergency shelters or transitional housing (HUD 2022, Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program Data). The lived experience of homelessness is a touch point regardless of gender, ethnicity, or health situation.
Persons who are experiencing homelessness possess what John F. Crosby describes as being “persons who are unrepeatable” (Crosby, 2019). Individual persons who have found themselves standing on street corners to secure coins for hotel stays, who are accessing various local nonprofit and faith based services in our county, or sitting in a public school, are not to be lost in the category of homelessness. These individual persons can not be replaced as objects nor ignored to satisfy our individual comforts. Rather, these persons possess an outstanding unrepeatable quality which translates into 2,459 individual stories and experiences. Individuals who possess a dignity and richness which is obscured by our focus on the experience and the associated stereotypes. Crosby asks each of us to take a moment and look beneath the tired eyes, the aroma, and the disruptive classroom behavior to see the unique quality of the person before our eyes. |
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