Tired of Being Tired

Another day and we are left to deal with the aftermath of traumatic events that include another mass shooting, another unarmed black man murdered by inept police, and another day full of hatefulness and disregard for human life on display for the world to witness. Trauma is much more accessible than joy so even if you do your best to try and avoid such topics, the likelihood that it will somehow make its way to you either through your feed, the news, or just by word of mouth is pretty inevitable. The unfortunate fact that there are people who dwell and thrive for being exposed to such darkness is a sickening part of existence that we just cannot escape.

You are all aware of the type of person I am referring to. The ones who despite every piece of evidence that states that the murder of Jayland Walker (and so many others like him) was unnecessary and complete overkill will find some way to justify the murder of a black man. Countless times there have been some officers that have been proven to be liars, incompetent, and just blatantly completing or complicit to miscarriages of justice but they still somehow seem to get the benefit of doubt. Black and poor people rarely seem to get that luxury even when there is concrete video proof.

The uptick in violent crime is not an unusual occurrence during the hotter months but nationwide the numbers have been astronomical. What use to be crimes only committed in larger metropolitan areas have steadily moved to smaller, more rural areas. According to the New York Times, violent crime in the U.S. has risen 40% since 2019 mainly due to three main reasons. These are attributed to the Covid-19 lockdowns interrupting social programs meant to tame violence, record numbers of Americans purchasing guns, and lastly, the mistrust of institutions and people likely due to high-profile police killings and the heated protests and angst that immediately followed.

We are all tired. We are tired of dealing with the trauma of what it is to be black in a nation that your ancestors help build but still openly shows its disdain for us just because of our existence. We are tired of seeing mass shooters make it to jail while unarmed people are gunned down without a second thought. Yes, we are acutely aware that being a police officer is a stressful occupation and are thankful for the honest, hard-working citizens that who truly care about the good of the communities they serve and place their lives on the line to protect others. Too often though, we see how incompetent leadership truly are in some of these precincts like the ones who failed the victims of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting.  

Being bombarded with news like this on a nearly daily basis, it is mandatory now more than ever that we seek out joyous occasions. Having faith, finding laughter, spending time in nature and enjoying the company of loved ones are some small but beneficial ways we can combat dealing with the stresses of this world. Ugliness has always existed in this world but thankfully, so has love and kindness. Times may seem discouraging and bleak, but we must remember that light always outshines through the darkness.