by Joe Palvado

Created on: June 06, 2009   Last Updated: June 10, 2009

Racism exists in America. It will exist until the second coming of Christ or until the dissolution of all things. Too pessimistic you say? Largely impervious to external influence, eradicating racism requires a personal and radical change of heart. Woefully few possess the courage and the love to responsibly rip this insidious spiritual sin from their being.

Generally ascribed to uneducated Caucasians who reside in the South (a racist example) , racism is restricted neither by geographic boundaries nor to uneducated white people. Wealth doesn't alter racism's existence. Indeed, power and privilege may reinforce a personally held belief in superiority. Education refines the language of the racist but education alone fails to move the spirit. Law has no real impact and gives credence to the mantra, " you can't legislate morality". All are guilty to a greater or lesser extent and too many are comfortable with preconceived notions. Too many are immersed within a cultural milieu that reinforces erroneous assumptions. Society is too polarized, too frenetic, too secularized and too fractured to provide any meaningful contribution toward the eradication of racism.

What keeps humanity stuck in an incessantly unchanging cycle of mistrust and antipathy? Looking at America's vast expanse and divergent landscape, a city dweller may seek a refreshing respite in the country. Folks living in mountainous regions are exhilarated by vacations to the beach, delighted by the melodic thump of surf on sand. Coastal dwellers who travel to the Rockies marvel at the majesty of towering snow capped mountains and icy meandering streams. We delight in changes of scenery. We're refreshed by seasonal changes in climate or seeing the panorama of billowing clouds one day that give way to cloudless azure skies the next.. In fact, humanity delights in discovering newness and the unusual, except for one very notable difference: the color of another's skin. It seems so preposterous, particularly when one considers the admonitions to love one another have been preached and proclaimed throughout history.

Kris Kristofferson once recorded a song with lyrics, "most of us hate anything that we don't understand". Therein lies a kernel of truth. Understanding another presupposes relationship, and relationship's foundation stones include trust, compassion, empathy and openness. But how does one begin or to whom does one turn when columnists and activists instigate. politicians alienate and educators smugly ruminate.

There is only one source of healing, only one being capable of renewing the face of America and the whole earth. Scripture says that God is love. Believe it. You must believe it if you are genuinely dedicated to overcoming racism. Human beings are incapable of eradicating racism. Undoing racism is an individual endeavor that must act in cooperation with God because the source of racism is both the enemy of God and at enmity with humanity. The antithesis of love is racism and the intangible attributes or causes are fundamentally spiritual in nature. To ask Almighty God to illuminate your path to love is the beginning to freedom from racism. It is essential to risk the unknowable, to trudge an unseen path, to courageously endure derision and ridicule and most of all, to surrender yourself to a loving God who alone is more powerful than your enemy. See in the other the beauty of an extraordinary creator. The other may not love you, but you will be free from the tyranny of racism.

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