‘Planting the Seeds of Peace’ by Tonya Engel

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

I believe this to be true. Really. I do. I truly do. Change is incremental, and we are slowly but surely moving towards being a more liberal and egalitarian nation. And world. Not fast enough for us progressives, but ultimately, we are still moving.

That’s why the GOP and old white men are flailing about wildly, as their influence and power are waning. These are the last gasps and breaths of this kind of oppressive conservatism. By 2040, they will be vastly outnumbered and have a hard time electing anyone like Donald Trump ever again.

I know that they are on the wrong side of history, and our ancestors will look at this day and shamefully admonish the sins of their forebearers and try and reconcile their present with their past – our present. Just as we view slavery today, and condemn those who defended and propped it up for hundreds of years.

WE ARE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY. I know this to be true.

It’s just sad that I may not live to see that day. We are in the midst of a reckoning, that will last at least a generation. Or two. Or three. I am confident that as a society – and world – we will ultimately stamp our racism, sexism, homophobia, white supremacy, etc. One day. Probably not in my lifetime. But one day.

So for now…in the meantime…I can only continue to learn about the lives, needs, and wellbeing of the people I share this world with, and work as an advocate and ally for the poor, disenfranchised, marginalized, and voiceless. And fight like hell for our dying planet. That’s all we can do.

Abraham Lincoln didn’t solve racism. Neither did Martin Luther King. Nor will I. We are vessels – as they were – who pour ourselves into the next generation of vessels, who in turn, pour themselves into those who come after them. And on, and on…
And with each vessel, and with each pour, we cleanse our world, and get just a little closer towards love. Towards peace. Towards justice. FOR ALL.

Not in my lifetime. Not in yours. But we keep pouring. We keep planting seeds. We may not ever live in the shade of that tree, but without us, no one ever would.