Lately I haven’t been remembering my dreams. I used to all the time. I wonder what changed? Probably some sort of negative change in my vibrations or something. But I did remember one from before I woke up today.
It was a memory of my freshman year of college , 1991. Fairmont State College, Fairmont West Virginia, men’s dorm lobby, fairly late.
I’m watching two good friends of mine have intense discussion on a myriad of the big topics of the time. On one side of the table we have E. M., from inner city Cleveland. Very into his role as a young black man in the early 90s. Chock full of life experience and from what a quick Google search showed me, has done some amazing things.
On the other side of the table, we have J. L., from the north end of the New River Gorge Bridge in deepest darkest West Virginia. Highly intelligent and curious about the world outside of WVA. Had never seen a black person in person until the first day of freshman year.
The specifics of the conversation are unimportant. The fact that two very different young men with vastly different life experiences, opposing political and social viewpoints were able to sit down and talk like men for close to 6 hours way back in 1991 is indeed impressive. But, at the end of the session, they both shook each other’s hand and each said something like this “I may not agree with you or even understand your views but I respect you for sitting and having a real conversation with me.”
Something like this is what everyone seems to be demanding. It will never happen, at least not now. Not because of racial, social or economic differences. But because nobody will acknowledge, much less listen to, something or someone they don’t agree with 100%.
All these people clamoring for a “real conversation” wouldn’t listen to the other side. We, as a country, need to learn how to talk with people and not talk at. The Government, we loathe so much, talks at us. When they aren’t talking down to us.
We the F%#n' People 