"Humanity is alive, even if only for a moment. This fervor, this feeling, this common thread that has pulled so many together across the globe, across races, religions, and opinions, this is called humanity. It is the common thread that can pull on all of us because it runs through all of us. Being human is often referred to as a condition, and it is at these times that we realize that we share the same condition. The Human Genome Project scientifically, without a shadow of a doubt, informed us that there is no gene for skin color. Ergo, we are all one race, the human race. Any other difference is beautiful, adding myriad patches to the tapestry that is the diversity of our existence. In times such as this, there is always an individual, a person that transcends the differences we share to bring us together. Whenever there is a martyr, we follow, inspired by the spirit of the individual. I found myself thoroughly proud of the togetherness that has been displayed; however, it's temporary. Once the martyr succeeds or is killed (those are really the only two options, with the latter being the overwhelmingly recurring outcome), the followers slowly disperse and resume their normal lives. This is a problem. If we only take action when the media gives us a face, a name, a mannequin to rally behind, what are we doing otherwise? Martyrs are few and far between. They are very special individuals, no doubt. However, if there is a God, he or she is very disappointed in us because we have mistreated those unique people. Individuals such as Troy Davis are not here for us to get BEHIND them. We are to stand with them, then move ahead should they ever fall. Martyrs are a testament to the incredible spirits we all have, glimpses of the greatness that we all can attain when we shift our paradigms. There is a place for all of us...a nirvana that we can all achieve, a peace that we can all share. It is the lush pasture of the open mind. Even in his final words, brother Davis urged the Macphails to dig deeper into the case, while maintaining his innocence. He wished that those who were taking his life would be blessed. He asked his family to keep up the fight. In essence, he subjugated his role in all of this, knowing that it was a situation that had befallen countless others who had no voice. That is humanity. Even as he was being cut from it, his focus was on the common thread we share. There are countless other Troy Davises. There is a young Black man laying in a hospital for no reason, the victim of a senseless shooting. There is a Middle Eastern woman wondering if she'll live to see the next day, as drones fly overhead. There are entire families in Africa that may starve to death. We may not be in positions to help all of these people, but sympathizing goes a long way. Brother Davis was sustained by all of the love he received. We can all be sustained in that way. Love is the most transcendent force on this planet because it travels through humanity. It can reach all of us easily, and we can send it with ease as well. Simply saying 'hi' to someone could change that person's day. Life is a fluid thing. It is always subject to change, as time keeps pressing forward. Putting good into the world will always have a ripple, just as evil would. Despite the hard times that were pressing on him, brother Davis sought still to put good into the world, and even did so in his final words. If we adopted his style of thinking, we could likely put the question 'what is this world coming to' to rest. Love's only true enemy is division. Arguing about the justice system will not change it. Making it a race issue does not change the colors of the men involved, nor does it keep color out of the forefront of our discussions. Debating the barbarity of the death penalty does little to save the inmates that are scheduled to die, nor does it bring anyone back. Change comes from unity; unity brings resolutions. Disagreements only result in wins, losses, and stalemates. The Macphails feel as though they won, while many feel that we and brother Davis lost. However, there is no resolution. There are still doubts. That is one of the many travesties of our society, not focusing on diffusing to a solution, but focusing on escalating to an end. An end has been reached. In all likelihood, evidence will 'surface' soon, and the SCOTUS and the Georgia Parole Board will have to admit they got this wrong. There will be outrage, and humanity will surface again, only to soon dissipate. Or, another travesty will come along and bring us together again. The sun has risen and set on so many of our greatest humans, yet we still live by the moon, rising together and falling apart as though we're the tide. The sun rose over Mesopotamia, but we have seen darkness arise in the millenia since then. When will the sun set on humanity? When the Martin Luther King in me, the Mahatma Gandhi in you, and the Troy Davis in the next person all are extinguished. All I ask is that you let your sun shine. Don't let all of the trivial and secular things of this world cloud your spirit and dim your light. We can all be martyrs, to the point that the word would be useless. We can all be champions for peace, champions for equality, champions for love. Love prevailed, keeping brother Davis with us physically for many additional years beyond his first scheduled execution. It is that love that this world needs, and it is on us to spread it. The humanity we felt for brother Davis is the humanity we should have for all of our brothers and sisters, and this the underlying message to this incident. In closing, I ask you two questions: will you carry on with the thread that you have so passionately pulled on? Will you seek to strengthen the tapestry and beautify other patches, or will you drop it and go back to fluffing up your own patch? No matter what you choose, be thankful to the seamstresses, the Lincolns and Kennedys that were able to thread us together and bring humanity to life, even if only for a moment."
-A. Lewis
Dedicated to Troy Anthony Davis,
October 9, 1968 - September 21, 2011
May your sunset bring forth sunrises.
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