WOKE

     Today you woke up, opened your eyes, and started a new day.  You live in the USA which aims to provide liberty and justice for all.

      Now, we need to wake up and realize that men and women, straight and LGBTQ, and every race needs to have equal justice, to be treated fairly by the community, the workplace, and the government and its representatives.  We need to open our eyes, become aware, extend our sympathy to those not treated fairly, and gain empathy for everyone, especially those that are different than we are. 

     Wake up.  See the world and all its people.  Start a new day.  Make it better than yesterday for everyone.

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Karl

   

     A good man, husband, father, and grandfather.  Karl's German/Swedish family was Lutheran for many generations.  He learned responsibility from a young age and continued to take charge of his own life.

     As a young teenager, he worked at a grocery store saving his money so he could go to college.   Although he was interested in sports, this job kept him from participating on school teams.  During his years at Indiana University, he worked on construction in the summers with his grandfather.  Unfortunately, he injured his hand on the job which disqualified him from military service.

     At college, he worked as a dishwasher to pay for the cost of his fraternity, where he enjoyed lots of parties with his college sweetheart.  They married after graduation, and in a few years had three daughters who went on to graduate from LSU.  He was so proud of his girls, and when they married, they gave him seven grandchildren.
     During his professional career, he was first in the corporate world then went into business for himself as an advisor to small businesses.  He learned to play golf which became his favorite pastime.  Every Sunday, he took his family to Lutheran Church.  His great-grandfather had been a Lutheran pastor.  We had many happy years together, and on our 55th Wedding Anniversary, July 20, he took his final breath.

Hard to Let Go

     If you are male, what would be hard to let go?  Historically having more rights, privileges, and power than females, given toys that stimulate math and science interests, being encouraged to develop talents and careers and go out into the world, free from monthly cycles, being able to have children without being pregnant, having females take the primary responsibilities caring for offspring and the household which allows males more freedom to pursue a career without interruption, having your family name as your children's last name, more likely to become high ranking political officials or CEOs, making more money.  

     If you are white, what would be hard to let go? Historically having more rights, privileges, and power  than non-whites, having a skin tone that isn't seen as being a member of "another" group, being in the majority group, having no ancestors who were enslaved, receiving proper treatment and justice, less likely to go to prison. 

     The white male is finding it very hard to let go of their position.  They are used to being treated better, being paid more, and having higher positions of power.  This power, however, is a result of the female and non-white populations having less power and lower status in society. Females and non-white races must continually struggle to obtain equality and justice.