How many races of men are there? I submit this question is most relevant, given what we see with the protests and the looting and rioting in cities across the country.
Black Lives Matter is a movement that began with the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. It has taken on new life with the horrific killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
However, I want to highlight a much larger issue, and that is the battle here between the forces of good and evil. We are also seeing a movement justifying its means because of what it sees as a most desirable goal, some form of social justice.
As to the question I started this post with, the most profound answer I have ever heard is from a man for whom I have great respect: Dr. Viktor Frankl. Dr. Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, is the author of “Man’s Search for Meaning” and the founder of logotherapy, a method of psychotherapy based on the premise that all men search for meaning in their lives. Without purpose, life can become unbearable.
Dr. Frankl once was asked if he hated the Nazis who killed his parents, his wife, and his two children during the Holocaust. He responded as follows: “There are two races of men in this world but only these two: the race of decent men and the race of indecent men. Both are found everywhere, they penetrate into all groups of society.” As a point of clarification, I believe Dr. Frankl used “indecent” not to mean obscene or vulgar. Instead, he used “indecent” to mean contrary to just or civilized behavior.
In these troubling times, many people are protesting and clamoring for a better place in the sun. Many seem to cry out for vengeance of a sort because they believe they have been victimized or disadvantaged or abused. We can never fully understand the depth of their stories because they are told with so much pain and anguish, we can barely comprehend them.
However, these men and women fail to see or to understand the actions they are taking to further their cause. Let us use Dr. Frankl’s quote as a screening mechanism and ask the most critical question: Are these people who are protesting and rioting decent men and women or indecent men and women? I think the answer is quite apparent.
Remember, we are known by our actions. Our words may belie our motives, but our actions clearly demonstrate what we are about.
A Call for Action
If we use Dr. Frankl’s great quote again, we must come together in America and point our finger at those who are acting indecently and call them out for what they are doing. The survival of our society demands it.
Internal Link: https://whitebeardwisdom.com/thoughts-from-the-peanut-gallery/
External Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl
