Latest / The Foundations We Lay / Reflections on Humanity

Transcript

Reflections on Humanity · The Foundations We Lay

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, welcome back to another episode of the Foundations We Lay.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a little while, but I'm here and I hope you all are well.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: Today, I would like to share an experience that I encountered not long ago.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: So, to get started, I'll share what the experience was.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I have my notes here so I can make sure I stay on track for the most part.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: So here we go.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know if a veil has been lifted from my heart, but I witnessed two occurrences that bothered me.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: And it was two occurrences that happened on the same day.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: Now, one was when I was walking and chatting with an older woman that I had met that day, and a young man decided to point out the appearance of her shoes.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: Now, when he mentioned her shoes, he mentioned a brand name that was talked about in a negative way when I was younger.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: So when I heard him say these things, I was a little confused.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I looked down at her shoes because I knew I didn't have them on.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: But I looked at her shoes and it confirmed that he was talking about her because he said, see, she looked talking about me.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so when I heard that, I turned back behind me, and I looked at him and the people that was around him, and I just stared at them for a few seconds.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: But I didn't say anything.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, we made eye contact, they were smiling, laughing, and so forth.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: But I decided, for the sake of those that were with me and wisdom to turn back around and to keep walking, but do know that that situation was not acceptable in any way, shape, or form, in my opinion.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: And really, looking at the woman's shoes, there was nothing wrong with the condition of her shoes.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: They were in good shape, but really he was just poking and brotting just to get a laugh out of the people that was around him.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: Because of those that were with me, I chose the battle wisely.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: The second event occurred while driving.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I was behind a vehicle that was going right, that was going to turn right.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: And then a pedestrian had the right of way, of course, because they had the signal to cross the street.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: As they were crossing the street, the car that was in front of me that was going right had slowed down as if they were waiting for the pedestrian to safely cross the street.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_01: When the pedestrian walks directly in front of their vehicle, even more, they accelerated in a jerking manner two times, as if they were about to hit the pedestrian and as if they were trying to hurry them up.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: Now, the gap between them slowing down to perceivingly let them cross safely versus when they began to accelerate at them was about five seconds or so and wasn't that long of a gap.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: And that bothered me.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: And so as I watched the man experience this in his motion because he was dang near hit by this car, and he looked just as confused as I was.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm looking around, even looking at other drivers to see does anybody else see what's happening here?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: What is the problem?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: But I watched the man walk to the medium on the left side where there was another man sitting there, and he joined them and sitting on the ground.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I couldn't help but wonder how many more things did he possibly have to brush off that day?
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: How many more times was he faced with something like that, maybe even throughout the week?
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: But I wondered about the state of his mind and the state of his whole being overall.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: This whole thing frustrated me.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: And lo and behold, of course, coming to the next light after they did all that and started rushing, we ended up right by each other again.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: What was all that done for?
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't seem like it was effective at all because we ended up right back to each other and they did not gain any type of far distance from engaging in that type of behavior.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: So when I was behind the car, before they turned to right, after they had the event with the pedestrian, the thing that came to my mind was that I am so disappointed in people.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I know that can sound harsh, and I know it may sound extreme.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: And you may be listening and say it's not that big of a deal.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: But to me, it is that big of a deal because the fact that some people are still treating others in this manner is ridiculous.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: The fact that a young man found the joy in picking on an older woman's shoes just to get a laugh out of the people that was around him is ridiculous to me.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: Now, yes, it happens.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's been happening since when I was younger.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: It was happening since before I was even born.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: And what does that say to me?
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: Does it say that it's okay?
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely not.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: To me, it says there has not been an interruption in the cycle of these type of behaviors.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: There hasn't been an interruption, or at least a received interjection that was strong enough to break the patterns of these types of behaviors from one per one person to another, impacting individuals, impacting families and communities.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: So, why does this still occur?
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: There's so many layers to that, but we can touch on that a little bit later.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: So, one of the things I'm just like an easy thing to say is if you have an issue, let's say with a shoe issue, if you have an issue or see a concern with anybody's attire, with anybody's shoes, feel free to buy them a new pair of shoes.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: Feel free to support whatever need they have, if it's that much of a concern for you to laugh at them.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: But that's just surface level.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: But still, the option is out there.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: If you see a concern, if you see that somebody needs some new shoes, why don't you pull out the funds from your pocket, your credit card, debit card, whatever it is, and fund the need?
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: Take care of the need rather than trying to strip them of their humanity to try and boost your ego, right?
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's not okay.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: So those frustrated me.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I was trying to figure out why was this such a burden for me?
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: Why did this frustrate me at the level that it did?
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: And it also brought me to think about how many times I may have driven past situations and people in the corner, families, and so forth, and may have seen the situation, may have felt some type of emotion, may have had a thought come about, may have given some water, may have given a few bills, but didn't really see or catch the root or the severity of that person, didn't really catch the severity or the root of the state of the business, the state of a community, the state of an organization.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: And in moving so fast on a day-to-day basis, going back and forth to work, taking care of daily and weekly responsibilities, it can be easy to neglect tending to the conditions that are around us that doesn't immediately involve us.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: And so that may have been one of those moments for me that I had the right moment to slow down and to be present in that moment, experiencing life outside of myself, experiencing things outside of where I thought I needed to be at a time, to where I can have my eyes truly open to see the state and conditions of some parts of humanity.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_01: Now we know that everyone isn't like this.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: We know that everywhere and every state isn't in this in this condition.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: We know that everyone doesn't behave this way.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: But sometimes a few apples that are rotten can spoil the whole barrel.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not saying remove them.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: I'm saying they need to be addressed, they need to be acknowledged, identified, dealt with.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: Not okay.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: And here's the other thing that many people tend to forget.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: We are more connected than we realize.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: And unfortunately, it seems that people, of course, not all people, I seem like it feels like I always have to put that disclaimer in there.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: It seems that people tend to forget how interconnected we really are, and how one person can impact someone else, even if it's a little further away, until it hits closer to home.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: Some issues don't really pertain or matter to other people until it hits closer to their home.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes it doesn't matter until it starts happening to your children.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes it doesn't matter until it happens to your grandparents.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: And it shouldn't be that way.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: We shouldn't have to wait till it hits our home to have compassion for other people, to want to be some sort of solution.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody doesn't have to step in every situ every simple situation because we have to use wisdom.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: Because here's the other part there are some individuals who are very on edge who are not very stable mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: Some people are truly on the edge and are waiting for the right trigger to do whatever it is that has been in their mind and imagination.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: So you must use wisdom and discernment.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: And also some people see correction as rejection.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: They may see correction as a challenge to them, as an opportunity for somebody else to embarrass them.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_01: They may see it as a shot to their ego, which is already fragile, right?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: They may see a challenge to see it as a challenge to their dignity.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: So a person can blow up very easily and respond in a cancerous and harmful way, not thinking logically, and not caring about the consequences of their actions in the long run or even short term.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: Because sometimes when a person is in this state of mind, all they want to do is to prove a point or to release the pent-up anger and the pent-up tension that has been dormant or lying inside of them for whatever period of time.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: And that may have been the right trigger.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: So thinking outside of the moment doesn't always seem like an option for someone who's in that mindset, who's in that condition, who's in that state.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: So have the eyes to see when someone is there and choose your battles wisely.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: Use discernment.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: You can pray for them, and if they need further help, connect them to professional help.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: So, another thing to point out is yes, we know that there are some individuals that hurt people because they're hurt.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: There are some people who have felt abandoned, and so they really don't know any other way to operate.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: I am aware that some people pick on others because they feel insecure about themselves.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: However, if things are not addressed at the root, the problem will continue to manifest and it will continue to grow and extend itself from generation to generation.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: When we pacify behaviors like this, and even laugh at them as their children and never give the right correction as they get older, there are consequences.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: Let's focus on that now.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: Because we don't want to see the severity and the level of damage that has taken place by allowing these things to occur year after year after year after year.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: After something major happens in a city, a state.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: Brought back to a place of surrender, brought to a place of a safe sense of reality.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: Because if they can't be brought, if they cannot be brought back to a place where they may feel safe, or where they may feel they can relax or just be back to earth again, per se, how far will they go if they feel no sense of attachment, if they feel no sense of connection, and so forth?
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: Now, these are extreme cases, right?
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm talking about this because it's for real.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm talking about this because too many times we only talk about it when something major happens, when there are major shootings happening, where there's something that's an act of terrorism, but before those events take place and occur, why not be real about what we see in our communities and day-to-day lives and do something about it now?
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: So if you are a teacher and you see that a child is in need of help beyond what you can give, please connect them to the help that they need.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: If you are a friend and you see that your friend needs help, go ahead and connect them.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: And also, if you need to separate and sever the connection, sever the connection.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: These are not the times to be playing around or to even be guilty by association.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: This is a grace period and a mercy where we are to pivot where needed to make that 180-degree turn and to do what we need to do, to be on a path that we need to be on.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because there's too much happening and there are too many things that are on the way, even in this nation and country, for us to be doing petty things over the state of somebody's shoes and to be trying to rush somebody to cross the street.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: If we are doing these things now, just I'll say this don't wait until things get closer to our land to try and build community.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: You better start now.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: You better take care of the people that you have around you now, treat people with some respect and take care of the people that you are close to and you have access to.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: So, like I said, you don't have to go out trying to save the world, you don't have to go out trying to start a nonprofit or anything like that.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: Starting your homes, please.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: I know I'm working on mine.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'll say this.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: If my child was to fix their mouth to talk about somebody's shoes, to try to get a laugh out for somebody else.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: One, there will be an apology.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: Two, if there are funds in their account, they will be pitching it for some new ones if it's that big of a deal to them.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever the case may be, we will figure it out together because they must know that that is not the way we treat people, no matter what their background is, no matter where they come from, no matter the amount of money they have.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: Because if the situation was flipped, how would they want to be treated?
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: And if they have been treated that way, they already know talking down on somebody else is not a substitute for what you feel like you're lacking on the inside of you.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: And if you are someone that does that, talk to somebody.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: Don't stoop to the level that somebody has stooped down to even do those things to you.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: Be the person of change and be the light that the world so desperately needs.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll leave you with that.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: I know this was a little different.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: I know this tongue was a little different, but I wanted to share this because there are some things that I really do have a heart for.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: And mistreating others is something that I just can't look past sometimes.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you for your ears.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for your time.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: But please be sure to not dismiss the things that we have become so accustomed to, to not just continue to dismiss or walk away from the things that have become numb in our eyes.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_01: Now is the time for us to band together and to build strong communities, true authentic communities, and to move forward together with grace, with love, with compassion.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: So until next time.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: Take care of yourself and love one others.