Plague Journal, Morning In Geneva
It is Sunday morning. Two and a half months ago, late winter when the quarantine was announced, I drove to Geneva on a Sunday morning. That was not unusual since Geneva is 10 minutes away from Batavia. Until the covid-19 quarantine the Starbucks on 3rd Street was my preferred venue for beginning each day with a session of reading and writing. I miss the privilege of visiting Starbucks for many reasons.
Weeks have passed, it is almost June. I visited 3rd Street again this morning. I wanted to feel the ambiance of the street, illuminated by sunlight, flowers in bloom. Yes, we are still in quarantine, 3rd Street was quiet, little 
traffic, and only a few dog walkers. As in March I knelt on the double yellow line in the middle of the street to take a photograph. Some restaurants are opening, under quarantine conditions, those that can manage outdoor seating. There are many signs, symbolizing the extreme stress brought by the coronavirus to independently owned 
businesses of every kind.
Walking, camera in hand, I intended shift my attention away from the outcry of rage, the public demonstrations against racism in our country. Not far from the Kane County Courthouse on 3rd Street I noticed a series of photographs attached to a streetlight pole. They were photos of 3 young Black adults recently killed by police. I stopped, unable to direct my attention away. These are just the most recent names that have been in the newscasts: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery. There are others too.
I’ll not go on about racism here, because I am a white guy and that disqualifies me in many respects to comment. What can I know? I must say though, if you are a white person born in the United States, you are racist to a lesser or greater degree. Racism is a dimension of our cultural heritage. I believe there is good news, that this dehumanizing condition of mind/heart can be changed. Change must be desired, and 
begins with the frank admission that we prefer individuals who look like us, talk like us, who have the same habits as us. Reducing this proclivity will take years of effort. To be less racist,…… How? I suspect the work is not unlike the wringer of psychotherapy, facing that part of yourself that you really do not want to see or confess. I think that intentionally acting and speaking with openness to individuals of color would be one place to start. 
Without first hand experience, we are left with nothing but the stereotypes in our minds
I also think that anyone whose profession is law-enforcement will face a particularly formidable challenge. After all how difficult to withstand the rush of passion, to act on one’s better judgment when confronting persons in the throes of fear, or rage, or addiction, or shear malicious intent,– no 
matter the training. Should we not be intentional to befriend those we happen to encounter who work in law enforcement?
To conclude, I passed a lilac bush across the street from the train station on 3rd Street. As always the aroma was indescribable, freely offered to everyone who passes by. So, I find our hope in Nature. As Nature renews itself by the passage of seasons, — so may we. We can pass through this season, if we desire to.
“Let us be human.” — Ludwig Wittgenstein
2 thoughts on “Plague Journal, Morning In Geneva”
Yes, I agree that we are all racist, based on the xenophobic nature of mankind. Some people deny this trait, but by denying it in themselves they add to the problem. It is only when we embrace our fear of strangers, recognize its debilitating affect on all of us, can we, through mindfulness, begin to diminish its deadly embrace of human culture.
When I say that we are all racists, I mean ALL of us. Every background, ethnicity, religion, skin tone, everyone. The difference between racism from white folks as compared to African-Americans is that the white people are in charge and therefore have been able to express their racist feeling with immunity. Whereas when black people express their racism towards white folks, it is looked at as a threat. And we cannot confuse racism with the anger we see coming from minorities when they shout from the rooftops about the subjugation of people who look like them. These are two distinct areas although we often erroneously intertwine them.
[Aa correction: Armaud Arbery was not killed by a policeman, but by white civilians stalking him.]
Thank you for the correction. Arbery was murdered, it is fair to say, as a vigilante act. There is was no “law enforcement” facade to disguise the atrocity.
I am with you as well in making the distinction between the antipathy by whites against blacks, express with impunity in a myriad of ways for many generations. It takes courage and strength of character to recognize one’s own bias against people of color, and to object when someone else by a word, or perhaps a gesture shows disrespect to someone else on account of race. We majority white people must do what is necessary taking steps to reduce our assertion of privilege, or see the disintegration of our society. That is how I see the matter.