Dear People,

Since I was young I’ve believe that the State of Union is the only state that we could exist within. That because it was “better” it was “best”.  That we are fine, that tomorrow will come, that we will thrive, no matter what happens, come forth, or change.  That the hurt that is  felt is our burden, but that it is momentary. Something that can be healed, remedied and deal with in a reasonable time frame, and overcome as necessary. But this weekend, for the first time in my life I found myself questioning if we had failed. Failed as a country, a society, a humanity. As I entered into a retreat for young people. as part of an organization that I am proud to be apart of , I possessed a mentality of support. Support our system, support each other, support tomorrow. But as I listened to the opinions that were revealed, as we dialogued in the context of crime and justice, I became horrified. Disturbed, not by the sentiments themselves, but the allowance of the sentiments to exist——The incidents that had occurred and caused such feelings to flourish. How? How could young people like me detest the government that birthed them, loved them, nourished them?

Perhaps its a socratic way of thinking, but I thought to myself “is it not natural to love your home?”, which I answered yes to. This pushed me into an even deeper analysis: If this is true, then why? If I subscribe to the belief that we are born without hate, disdain, then what could force a child born into the privileged society of American luxuries, as even the lowest socio-economic status in America far exceeds the highest in others, to hate the government that had given it to them. No other explanation could be conceived rather than that, to these young people, in some way they felt as though the government had wronged them significantly. This parental figure of governance has abused them, leaving scars that would not scab, burns that would not heal, and released a virus that could not be anti-bodied. Was this cause to say we had failed—I pondered again. I found myself being grappled by the necessity of myself to feel empathy, and the desire to believe in order. Were these “abuses”really such, or were they ,merely execution of necessary methodology. If this were the case, then were these young people violating themselves, harming themselves by believing that the problem, was the cause of someone else, rather than themselves?

It returned me to conversations with other young people and how the opinions had been polar opposite to the ones I was hearing. That, to those young people, pain is the fault of those who make poor decisions. That to blame another for the failure of self is the failure of all, and the violation of human operation and the concept of human decision. Two groups of young people, entirely different views? Was this a view of failure, of inability to reconstruct? The fact that people of the same generation, peers, associates, at even such young an age possessed views that conflicted in the extreme. The leaders of tomorrow, already is argument today. A predestined aim for failure, in the sense that we’ve already decided that we shall not agree 30 years, in advance of the question. The words of George Washington reared their head in his condemnation of division. His projection of demise because of separation. Before now I had asked myself, “How Washington could you know the result hundreds of years in advance”, but now I knew how. If he bore witness to what I do now, then I understood entirely. Without community which is built on the principle of coming together, then we fail, but we can’t have community if we don’t have consensus. But when we are in moments when consensus is so refused in an existing community, then how do we fix it. This hinges on rather one decides to include another, in their community. So, the resounding question is this——do we want to? Is there a desire to recreate the community that was already existent? TO this question. I am positive I’d receive a resounding amount of “No!”s and to these “No”s i am inclined to ask why? And if not, then how would you redefine or more so, how do you currently define it? I’ve heard both sides of the spectrum specify that they believe their community to be judged improperly by the governmental factors, to wish I respond that  “It is not the government which specifies a division in the community under its laws, rather it is man who decides to perceive the governments words in variable interpretations.

Which leads back to the person, gifting them the ability to decipher who their community is composed of , and who it is not. Thus i’ve considered if their is a collective community at all, that currently exists, bringing the question of failure back into my mind. As a nation that has been founded upon a collective view of community, why do so many of its citizens insist on the opposite? In particular, why are the young minds more KEEN in the belief of separation, more than anyone? I’d lie if I didn’t say how troublesome, it left me. Fearful of the future, for rage seemed to triumph the thought . While thoughts remain immaculate, the rage that it involved, seemed to take precedence.How could this not be terrifying? I say all these to say, to reflect on what I witnessed: this weekend and in my time prior. That even when disagreements take place amongst us, our instinct to gravitate toward kindness ALWAYs exceeds it all. While yes, we may continue to disagree, in the moments that are necessary our hearts are linked. The humanity of it all, the reality is revealed.

It is such that brings me to my ending thought. Does this mean we failed is the question I began with, and my answer says no, we have not failed. I’ve observed the hearts of young people, and I’ve observed their passion. There ideals may be polarized, but their hearts are one. If the observance that end goals are important just as current standing, then it is obvious to me that the community would exceed. What we have failed at, however, is the portrayal of youth as a moment of weakness. We MUST understand that young people are the leaders of today, not tomorrow. They shift the dynamic and they control the movement. They decide if in due time, they will practice a life of inclusion or exclusion at this moment, in turn imprinting on their children similar morals and values. If we dismiss these young people and allow them only to converse, exist within places where only their position is advocated, we will fail; We will fail because, if that occurs, then we’ve allowed this polarization to exemplify. We’ve allowed it to create these multiple communities and destroy the one that is intended to include all of us. We have not failed yet, but are on the hinge of deciding whether we shall or not. It’s imperative that we make a decision on what we want to do, because the time is running up , and if we don’t the toxins already thriving on the evil, will make that decision for us.

Shaquan 
(Co-Founder/President of The Purple Party)

March 15, 2015