"You've Got to Be Carefully Taught"

This.

This picture says what we should embrace from the horrible events of the past week (Tuesday in Louisiana, Wednesday in Minnesota, Friday in Dallas, Texas) and of the past months and years.

Tears stream down faces as a black police officer embraces what appears to be a white woman, and two other women show shock and grief.  They are together in their emotions, not caring about skin color or uniforms or anything except their feelings about what has happened.  This togetherness is what is needed, this show of feelings, this kind of caring for each other. 

Embrace this.  Do not feed the fear and hatred that are the primary causes of the events we have lived through and sadly will probably encounter again and again until such time as reason prevails - if it ever does.  Let us try to teach reason, not hate and fear.

"You've got to be taught to be afraid,

Of people whose skin is a different shade

Of people whose eyes are oddly made…….

You've got to be taught to hate and fear

You've got to be taught from year to year…..

You've got to be carefully taught

You've got to be carefully taught."   

Rodgers & Hammerstein, "South Pacific"