Dear Spike,
Though I understand the depth of a father’s love, I can only
imagine the deepness of pain Michael Brown, Sr. has suffered in the months
since his unarmed teenage son was killed by a police officer in Fergusen,
Missouri.
I cannot relate, though, and would sooner die than be
able to.
So I was overwhelmed with appreciation for Mr. Brown’s plea
for peace in anticipation of a grand jury’s decision, tonight, as to whether to
criminally charge the man who took his son’s life.
“No matter what the grand jury decides,” he said, “I do not
want my son’s death to be in vain. I want it to lead to incredible change.
Positive change.”
Hurting others is not the answer, he said. And, of course,
he is right.
Tonight, as parts of greater St. Louis fall into turmoil in
defiance of Mr. Brown’s pleas, and as protests have erupted in other parts of
our nation, I wanted to take a moment to share with you this man’s words.
“We are stronger united,” he said.
When we are hurt, our
impulse is often to hurt back. The deeper the hurt, the stronger the impulse.
This is a natural urge. But only when we overcome these desires can we break free
of a cycle of violence that only creates greater, greater and greater pain.
At a most basic level, this is a lesson we can apply to
relatively small pains. We can see this when someone refuses to respond to an
offense caused inadvertently by someone they cherish.
At a far vaster level, this is a lesson we can apply even to
tremendous evils. We have seen this non-violent movements led by individuals
like Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. We have seen this in the truth and
reconsolidation efforts in places like South Africa.
This does not mean we should forget. Nor does it necessarily
mean we should forgive.
But if it should come to pass that you ever find yourself
tempted to respond to pain with pain, I wish for you to be strong. I wish for
you to be courageous. I wish for you to be steadfast.
I wish for you to be peace.
Love,
dad
