Racism and its effects on children's health.

William Wan wrote an article in the Washington Post published on 08/02/19 entitled "Racism has devastating effects on children's health, pediatricians warn":

The nation’s largest group of pediatricians warned this week that racism can have devastating long-term effects on children’s health.

A policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics is the first it has issued to its members on the dangers of racism. Doctors involved in the report said the current political and cultural atmosphere makes the work more urgent.

“If you look at what’s in the news today, in social media, on Twitter, there’s so much kids are exposed to,” said Jackie Douge, a pediatrician with the Howard County Health Department who co-wrote the statement. “As much as you want to keep it in the background, it’s not in the background. It’s having direct health effects on kids.”

Their report comes at a time when racism is dominating headlines, driven by racist tweets from President Trump, which have inspired chants at his rallies, and also by the rise of white nationalism.

Other pediatricians welcomed the report, which drew on 180 key studies and includes specific recommendations, and said the danger to their patients has become acute.

Editor's note: The social justice issue chosen for this year at my church, First Universalist of Rochester, NY is racism. I will be posting articles dealing with the topic of systemic racism on this blog throughout the year. 

The first step in working on social justice issues is to have a good working definition of the problem. We encounter systemic racism in every major sector of our society from education, to health care, to criminal justice, to housing, to social welfare, to sports, to the economy, to participation in religious organizations, etc. Articles posted here will be tagged "racism - ..." with whatever sector is being reported on. In this story quotes above the tag is "racism-health care."

Calvin says he is better than everyone else because he is not racist.

It’s been quite a week at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Dismal Seepage. Calvin Anderson, one of the pillars of the church, said that he was above all the talk about racism because he is the least racist person of anyone in the congregation. Those who not only like Calvin and his partner, Justin, but admire him, defended his statement when it was challenged by another member of the congregation who pointed out that he and Justin had bought a condo in a complex that was all white.

Calvin stated that the whiteness of the neighborhood was a matter of income levels and not race and that he felt bad that people of color who couldn’t afford to live in the neighborhood.

When it was pointed out that the condominium complex had a private security firm patrolling its grounds rather than rely on the city police, Calvin said that the city police department didn’t have the resources and the staff to adequately provide security to their neighborhood and since the home owners association could afford it they just decided to hire their own security rather than rely on the city police department. Justin chimed in, “Yes, and the city police aren’t very gay friendly so we would just rather not have them here to avoid any misunderstandings.”

Some people in the congregation have noticed that Calvin and Justin are strong supporters of LGBTQ rights but when it comes to people of color they seem to be blind except when it comes to intersectionality when they do take an interest in the LGBTQ rights of their colored brothers and sisters.

Becky said, “I know that racism is a sophisticated and nuanced issue and white people don’t want to give up, or have to apologize, for their privilege, but they have it whether they recognize it and acknowledge it or not. It is one of those topics where “ignorance is bliss” because when a person becomes aware of how racist systems work, they often are ashamed and deny that they have benefited from  them.”

And so there is a bit of tension at First Unitarian Universalist where the first principle gets lip service, but when it comes to its application people get nervous and self conscious escalating anxiety and defensiveness. However at First UU all the people think they are loving, smarter than most, and the least racist of any church in the area.

The examined life

I must have been 9 or 10 when it dawned on me that it’s not a bad life if you know how to live it. Where this wisdom came from to a 10 year old boy, I have no idea. I don’t remember anyone telling me this. It seems to have been just something than dawned on my awareness, and it has stayed with me my whole life.

As I matured, I became aware of the perennial wisdom, the wisdom that overlaps and comes from all major faith traditions and humanistic philosophy. There have been many attempts by various philosophers, and religious teachers to teach people how they should live their lives. The best advice that has been beneficial to me my whole life is Socrates statement that an unexamined life is not worth living, Jesus statement that the way to the kingdom is to love as I have loved, and Buddha’s 4 noble truths and the 8 fold path.

Living an examined life requires discipline and what Lewis Andrews calls intuitive self-reliance. Intuitive self-reliance means that we are listening to that little voice within that allows us to know whether we are on the right track or the wrong track. It can be ignored for so long, and is repressed so deep in many people, that they can no longer hear it and don’t even know that it is there. But the failure to examine one’s life regularly leads to psychological symptoms of depression, anxiety, fear, delusions, negativity, and poor social functioning. Lacking discipline and intuitive self – reliance causes great distress, negative consequences for the individual, and the people that that person is in relationship with. But that still small voice is always there and if we listen we can hear it.

One of the greatest spiritual revolutions has been the development of 12 step programs, the oldest and largest being Alcoholics Anonymous. AA makes it clear that it is not a religious program but it is spiritual and people who “get the program” start living examined lives and become some of the greatest spiritual, wisest people I know.

The epitome of the mature soul is being true to oneself, deep down, in one’s heart, at the core of one’s being. This is very difficult for people to do because none of us knows ourselves very well. People are like onions and we have layer upon layer upon layer upon layer until we get way down to the heart of ourselves. The layers are made up of lies, pretense, false facades, what is vulgarly known as bull shit, neurosis, and ignorance. Not being in touch with our heart, intuitive self reliance, leads to the mismanagement of our thoughts and feelings which has consequences for our behavior and jeopardizes our very soul

Ultimately, as Shakespeare taught us centuries ago, the well lived life is one in which we live so that we can be true to ourselves. With the societal pressures, the desire to fit in and not rock the boat, the desire to be popular, and make money and be “successful”, the desire to cope with stress by drinking and drugging and shopping and eating and engaging in religiosity and workaholism and gambling and watching mind numbing TV and wanting to be entertained, and attacking other people, we loose our way. We forget who we are and we waste our lives.

A life is a terrible thing to waste, and we waste it not by the things we do or don’t do, but by being unaware, by not reflecting and examining our lives, by ignoring the spiritual element and living exclusively in the material world never having really understood who we are and what our lives were about. We have not been true to ourselves, but to external forces and we lost our way a long time ago and never found our way back.

The masters like Lao Tse, Jesus, Buddha, Socrates, knew themselves and gave the gift of their state of being to the world. You have that potential too. May you realize it.

Ask Alexa - Why do I constantly compare myself to others?

Alexa: What makes us look down on other people and say to ourselves, "I might be bad but I am not as bad as him?"

It's the game of "one or the other" which we play when we believe everyone is guilty of something but some are guiltier than the others.

Alexa: What did the one female bee say to the other female bee buzzing arouind a handsome male human being?

"He's a keeper!"

Alexa - Will people join me on the path of the spirit?

Alexa: Will people join with me in seeking the Oneness of God on the path of the spirit?

No. They are still stuck on the path of the ego where they worship all kinds of idols one after another.

Alexa: Did you hear about the pony that had a cold?

Yes, he was a little hoarse.

U.S. President, Donald J. Trump, gives himself control of the weather by signing an executive order.

According to Andy Borowitz, Pressident Donald J. Trump, has signed an executive order giving him control of the weather and if he declares that huricanne Dorian is going to hit Alabama, then reality be damned, the huricanne will hit Alabama and he, Donald J. Trump will declare a national disaster emergency and give funds to Alabama for rebuilding and reconstruction.

Narcissistic arrogance and grandisosity is not only a characteristic of Donald J. Trump. We all have this tendency and characteristic to a lesser or larger extent depending on our level of egotism and insecurity. The Course In Miracles asks "Would you rather be right or be happy?" and most of us would rather be right.

The kind of narcissistic arrogance born out of the innocence and naivte in children can be "cute" and "endearing," but when observed in a 73 years old adult male it is kind of frightening and then laughable.

Unitarian Universalists are not know for their humility or their nonjudgmental attitudes, but they are known for their sense of humor and their ability to laugh at themselves in self deprecating ways. So there is hope for us all yet.

Blast from the past - Rev. William Sinkford speaks at rally on UU Ministry of the Earth in June, 2007

From Earth Day celebration in June 2007. Rev. William Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association.


 

Rev. William Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, speaks at the UU Witness for the Earth Rally in Portland, OR, 0n June of 2007. The rally was organized by the UU Ministry of the Earth. The video lasts about 8 minutes and is well worth watching.