Growing up, we were taught to love ourselves; to love every flaw, every imperfection, and every inch of our body. We learned to appreciate our own skin because some people won’t. Some people will try to label us with our skin color, race, and even disabilities. Our importance and worth as a human are sadly based on our physical appearance. Unfortunately, it has always been the greatest fight of our lives.
While everyone is fighting against the Coronavirus, other people are fighting for their lives. Aside from the news about the pandemic, another news breaks a lot of hearts when George Floyd, an African-American man, was killed by a police officer simply because of his race and skin color.
After the incident, the #BlackLivesMatter became a trending topic all around the world. Black Lives Matter is a decentralized movement advocating for non-violent civil disobedience in protest against police brutality incidents and all racially motivated violence against black people. But more than just being a trending hashtag on Twitter, Black Lives Matter is also a battle cry.
It is a battle cry for justice, respect, and acceptance, which should be freely and peacefully given to everyone no matter what they look like.
Such kind of incidents leaves scars and fear in the hearts of many. It pushes people to fit in the world’s standard of beauty to survive, or not be bullied, or not die. It delivers a message of hate – that anyone different is not acceptable - to the point that we hate ourselves for being different. We believe that we can’t fly, that we can’t reach our dreams just because our skin color is black, or that we came from a different race or that we have a disability.
The writer, Barbara Ker-Mann, wrote on her book Fleeing Polio on Wings Like Eagle, “Always be kind to yourself; trust in God’s strength and rise up on wings like the eagle.”
The line is truly a heart-striking one. It is inspiring to read such a line from a woman who happens to have polio at such a young age. Her parents were advised that she was paralyzed from the hips down and would never walk again. She thought that her wings had been thoroughly clipped. The author shared what it has been like to be “different” and how she overcame that difference.
We need to be kind to ourselves, believe that we matter, and decide to fly like an eagle. In this life, where people try to pull us down because we’re different, all we need is the courage to fly so high and show the world that we matter and that we do not need their approval to know our worth.
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