I CAN’T BREATHE EITHER
by Pastor Jorge Pastor
I can’t stop thinking about George Floyd’s last words as he was handcuffed with his neck pinned to the street by a Minneapolis cop’s knee during the final eight minutes and 46 seconds of his life. He kept repeating the phrase, “I can’t breathe”. It’s chilling and so difficult to understand how someone whose job it is to help and protect people, could treat another human being in such a way.
However, this is happening more and more as people are getting angrier by the minute. In the beginning, when the coronavirus first appeared, there was a true spirit of camaraderie, of friendship, of people taking care of each other, that we are all in this together. We were patient with each other. We said hello to each other as we walked by with our masks. And it’s true that some of this still exists today but there is also a growing underlying intolerance that is beginning to surface as frustration grows. Being sheltered in place for months is like putting humanity in a pressure cooker, especially a society that is as mobile and itinerant as it is today. Adding job loss, resulting income loss, and a dramatic change in lifestyle, the situation is becoming explosive.
Have you noticed the growing impatience and anger in places like the supermarket? The other day I saw a man verbally scold another for going back to a line that he had just left for only a moment. You would have thought the person had committed armed robbery. And this with only four people in line at the time. Fights have broken out over bags of flour, the last roll of toilet paper or the last chocolate bar on the shelf.
Do you remember what happened at the beginning of the pandemic? Sadly, Asians were unfairly attacked. Since then, domestic violence, divorce and suicide are on the rise. The outrage and anger at the treatment of our elderly in nursing homes has caused escalating demands and protests. Wherever you go, you see anger and violence boiling up to the point where we can’t breathe ourselves.
Perhaps the best illustration we have of this is to look at what’s happening in the United States. It started with a Minneapolis policeman committing the mindless and horrible murder of an African-American man. The reaction began initially as a peaceful civil protest. And there is nothing wrong with protesting especially against such a heinous act. But unfortunately, the protests erupted into a violent mass destruction of property and people. It was no longer a protest per se, but blind rage and violence. This type of mindless destruction is intolerable and has been condemned by even George Floyd’s family. Nevertheless, flames engulfed America’s cities. The protests have now spread to cities in Europe and around the world.
On the positive side, George Floyd’s death has spawned a spontaneous counter-cultural, non-violent movement consisting of thousands of people who cannot breathe in this environment either. We have seen peaceful demonstrations consisting of diverse ethnic groups, singing and praying together with police kneeling down in solidarity with the protestors and shaking hands as a sign of reconciliation.
Shouldn’t we be outraged by the murder in Minneapolis? Shouldn’t the violence of these days shake us to our core? Shouldn't we be furious by the treatment our elders receive in nursing homes, or the rise in divorce, abuse and suicide or those who are further marginalized? Of course. With all this I can’t breathe.
Reflect on the things that upset you this past week. What seems to offend you the most? When was your pride hurt? Did you not get something you wanted? Often we lash out because we feel mistreated or disrespected. Our personal pride gets hurt and we want revenge. In Romans 12:19 we read; "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord" In other words, it’s ok to be angry but I shouldn’t seek revenge through destructive acts of violence. I will protest, but I won’t take revenge. Revenge won't let me breathe. Leave vengeance to the Lord.
We must fight racial injustice. We cannot be silent. But we cannot allow our fight, whatever it is, to turn into hatred. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. "
It is time to lean into what is foundational about our faith in Jesus Christ. We are all created in the image of God. In Micah 6-8, we are asked to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” The Christian community cannot talk about Christ without talking about the injustice of treating people differently based on the color of their skin. Tradition for tradition sake won’t let me breath.
George Floyd's death inspires me to use other weapons that are the only ones that will let me breathe and not suffocate me in this world. And now, Floyd, enjoy the freedom in heaven that you were denied on earth.
The life and death of Jesus inspires me to face fear, revenge, anger, hatred and ignorance with hope, faith, and love. These are gifts from our Creator to help us overcome any social or personal injustice no matter how horrific, even a thousand knees choking His beloved children as they scream: I can't breathe.
Jorge J. Pastor-Mut
Pastor, Dénia, Spain
June 21, 2020
Translated/Interpreted by Sue and Scott Johnson
