This was written by a coworker I respect, yesterday, as a heart-felt Facebook post after the first of two horrible shootings of black men by police. I asked and received his permission to share it.

Will, a veteran and active Guard member, is a cut-up, a photographer, an artist, a fan off all things science fiction/fantasy/absurd (especially superheroes), a dad, a husband, a friend, a family member, a human. When I read  the post, I found it to be powerful poetry. This is his real photo, too. He is Will. He is us.

We are all responsible for the changes that must be made in American society.

 

 

I send this out to friends and strangers, to souls in pain over decisions made by organized religious groups. As you grieve and restructure, remember that religion is not God, rituals are not in fact the true practice of faith, and the errant cruelty of a misguided few cannot overshadow the beauty of love, kindness, and connection to the wondrous diversity of humanity. 

You are who you have always been, and light shines mightily for you, in this world and in whatever realms may lie beyond.