Power in Perspective

We all view the world through our own two eyes then leave it to the same brain to process the whole mess. Of all the things occurring on our vast bustling planet at any given time, unfortunately, we are cursed to be in one particular place taking in the little spec of experiences happening within the immediate reach of our senses. I happened to fly into my hometown of Minneapolis/St. Paul just days after the ruthless murder of George Floyd. I intended to head up north, find some peace, and focus on getting some work done on our Lake Superior community lands. Although work was accomplished, finding focus and peace was extremely difficult as the events unfolded from the heartless murder of George Floyd to peaceful protests, civil unrest, destruction, then finally to a militarized police state.

As an organization that exists to promote creative growth and improve the world through community and connection, we find ourselves very troubled by the lack of humanity and understanding many people are grasping to. We are allowing the pain and empathy from recent events to linger as we feel like it is an important step; embracing the hurt and agony of the injustice and allowing it to relentlessly claw at the deepest part of our hearts. We want to soak in this hurt while leveraging some creative thinking to observe perspectives and look at things from different points of view.

There are over seven billion people in the world each with their own unique set of experiences, values, and perspectives on life and humanity. Growth, change, and tolerance come from common ground, understanding, and respect. The big challenge here is generally we are consumed by individual truths that have been shaped by our life experience. We find it difficult to deliberately cast these ideas aside and truly understand and force ourselves to look at situations from a completely different angle. Maybe it’s because we know what we have experienced as a human and have formed solidified opinions based on that. Maybe this difficulty comes from a place of fear that this practice could turn our conclusions or values on their belly. To grow and evolve as a species, we need to question everything, gain new perspectives, and do our best to objectively observe from new viewpoints without letting our personal bias interject with justification.

Data and statistics seem like a great way to justify your opinion until you realize that this information can be easily manipulated to support a particular viewpoint. Rarely is this data gathered without an initial agenda in mind, so be aware of your sources and realize that some data and statistics also support the opposition. Instead of justifying, we need to spend more time listening and understanding to find solutions and progress as a society. Here are some examples of how to take a new angle on some common views to get you started. Keep in mind, in this thought experiment, we are deliberately looking for the reason why the statement is unjustified.

“We all have the same opportunity. This is America.”

It is easy to take for granted any advantages we have been given in life. Being born in a country with the strongest economy in the world is a head start in itself. Recognizing where we are fortunate is key, whether it be the color of our skin, the country we were born in, having a supportive family, or socioeconomic factors. We tend to paint over these advantages, take credit for our success as an individual, and chalk it up to hard work or intelligence. The reality is when someone loosens the pickle jar for you it is far easier to open. Individuals with advantages should be grateful and recognize that they have been helped along the way and that many others have an exponentially more difficult path.

“Rioting and doing damage to the community is unproductive and wrong.”

Denouncing violence and destruction is generally a reasonable position to take. I think it is safe to say we all want to live a peaceful life searching for connection, joy, and meaning. Rioting is the voice of the unheard getting louder; when speaking from the cage gets you nowhere you may need to start trying to kick in the door. There are many examples of this throughout history, but I think one of the best examples is how our country was formed in the first place - an oppressive government upholding standards that were not favorable to its citizens. If our founders never stood up against oppression to the extreme level of civil unrest and rebellion, the history books would look a lot different. The Great Fire of New York broke out in the early days of the military occupation of the city by British forces suspected to be caused by revolutionists, the Boston tea party, and endless other examples from our country’s founding. However, a pivot is required to shift this momentum to positive progression and change.

“I’m not racist; I don’t see color. I’m not the problem. All lives matter.”

A lack of hatred still allows for a lack of situational understanding. The reality is if you “don’t see color”, you are dismissing all of the additional hurdles people of color have to overcome. Our country, along with many others, is still operating within the invisible lines of the racial divide - be it geographic or social. This is a systemic issue that has been generationally eased in some ways, as well as perpetuated on a localized level by maintaining racial separation in our communities. The trickle-down effect of this is just increasing the inequality gap through government investment ensuring quality of life and education in the more affluent areas while leaving the less fortunate ones to fend for themselves, spiral downwards, and cannibalize resources. With an already horrible imbalance of wealth in this country, ignorance here is just fueling the fire of oppression. One person's ignorant bliss is another person's unrecognized struggle.

“Cops are just power-hungry, dominating authorities.”

Police officers each have their reason for choosing that occupation. Some probably to help their community and make it a safer place, others because they want a sense of power and authority. Regardless of their reason, it is fair to say that this is a psychologically damaging job. I can imagine it’s like being a customer service agent where everyone you talk to on the phone is already pissed off and directing their frustration at you (except on a whole new level). It is difficult for me to grasp the long term damage that dealing with violence and anger day in and day out would have on any individual. The very nature of this work seems to slowly disassemble the reality that humans are generally good and sometimes make bad decisions based on their situation. Because of these experiences, I can imagine officers are in a constant state of being on edge. How can we expect reasonable judgment and level headed decision making with this system?

After taking the time to truly listen and understand is when opinions should be formed - not before. Our ears will continue to remain open and our viewpoints malleable as we believe it is the best way to grow and be the best version of ourselves. At a certain point, you must place a stick in the sand to stand behind. At this point, ours is the following.

1. Racial inequality is still a significant problem, and we need to spread awareness and responsibly invest resources in the most impacted communities.
2. Police reform is necessary for not only the well-being of the citizens but also for the officers.
3. Change comes from mutual understanding, empathy, and love. We all need to do our part to keep an open mind, heart and pour as much love into the world as possible while holding our peers accountable to do the same.

Take care of yourselves and each other,

Dan