SLOW POISON

Sometimes it’s not what we shout at our neighbors, but what we mutter under our breath at the auto mechanic.  Sometimes it’s not what we say at the dinner party, but what our children overhear on the way home.  Sometimes it’s not what we post to our Facebook, but what we forward to a few of our coworkers.

We’d like to believe that thoughts expressed privately … quietly … discretely … don’t hurt anyone.  We’re blowing off steam, having a laugh, or just stating what everyone else is too afraid to say.  Right?

Wrong.  Bigotry is a slow poison -- one brewed with hate and cowardice.  It sets man against man, and seeks to make him less than man.  It's a snake-oil cure that blames life's complexities on a people group instead of accepting that life just sometimes isn’t fair.

January 16 -- yesterday -- marked the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who fought tirelessly and sacrificially to bring an end to bigotry.  44 years after his violent death, much work remains in making his dream a reality.  Discrimination continues to persist, if less in public then certainly in private, where it works its poison in secret.

But like so many other labels, those born of bigotry are a lie. So it’s time to spit out the poison and reject bigotry in all its forms.  Don't use it; don't accept it.

Let's hear your thoughts below!