Ru-May-Nations: 4

Race: a competition between runners, horses, vehicles, boats, etc., to see which is the fastest in covering a set course.
Alternatively, Race: a (somewhat) arbitrary classification of humans for the purpose of discussion and persecution.
Let's get clear about one thing before we get into the meat of it all: racism exists in our society. Now, there are (at least) two different things that one could mean when talking about racism. The first is the attitude of someone's heart such that hate or prejudice exists towards a particular group of people based on nothing more than their skin color. The second is systematic racism that exists such that people of color are born into situations in which there are fewer positive opportunities afforded to them. The latter is not the topic of this post because it is clear that this type of racism is prevalent in our culture and to be very frank, I am not sure what to do about it. I think that the issues (such as less funding for schools in primarily non-white areas, fewer job opportunities for people with 'ethnic-sounding' names, higher interest rates on loans for people of color, etc.) need to be tackled both in the short term and in the long term; simply one of the two will not suffice. These issues and others like them are exceptionally deep-rooted within our society and a simple change in attitude will not be sufficient either; it takes more. These issues must be tackled creatively and systematically and must be given much thought. This is not an excuse meant to excuse myself from responsibility because the reality is that every American has to take some level of responsibility for our society. This is just not the point of this post, perhaps a future one.
The point of this post is to discuss the former type of racism; the attitude of one's heart that causes that person to hate and oppress a specific group of people based on nothing more than the color of their skin. Honestly I think that this type of racism is a rather large cause for the latter type; in other words, if people stopped oppressing others, then systems of oppression could then start to be tackled more easily. And concerning this type of racism, I say this: race is not this issue. This issue lies deeper than that. The issue is that we are willing to hate and oppress other members of our own species. As long as this is the case, then racism, sexism, classism, and many other -isms will exists. Let's be clear about something, if someone is willing to hate another person deep down, then curing racism will only be trying to cure the symptoms and not deal with the disease. (Personally I think that it goes even deeper than hate to sin, and sin must be addressed even before hate, but I digress) As long as hate exists then even if racism is eradicated, there will still be other -isms that will rise up to take its place. Perhaps they will not be apparent at first, but it will happen. Take the example of poverty: simply addressing poverty with systems and politics, while worthwhile and exceptionally beneficial to our society, does not address the root problem which is greed. As long as greed exists, poverty exists regardless of our efforts to eradicate it. Even if you somehow are able to eradicate poverty, it will pop back up unless greed is dealt with at the heart level. The same is true of racism. What I am postulating is not an attempt to undermine or underscore the evils of racism; it is just that: evil. However, my point is that the root issue must be dealt with first or dealing with racism or poverty is a moot point. Notice that I am not saying that dealing with these issues on a personal level is not without its merit and benefit, I believe that it is. However, it is never long-lasting unless heart issues are dealt with. A good heart is vital. This is my plan for dealing with racism: first deal with a heart that is willing to hate people and then racism will begin to take care of itself. There has been more than enough squabbling I think.

On the lighter side: I really appreciate the diversity of laughter that exists within the world, and smiles too for that matter. It is a real joy of mine to be able to make people laugh and smile and something that I get so much joy from. It might seem simplistic, but I am thankful for laughter diversity.