The first two lines of the chorus of the Young Bloods 1967 hit song, Get Together: “Come on people now~Smile on your brother” are words that are just as poignant and necessary today as they were then. I am still on my journey to get to that place.
I am the first to admit that I am a privileged white guy. I have not had to overcome the prejudices and roadblocks faced by many people of other races, nationalities or genders. I have been embraced by family, friends and opportunities. I have been blessed by luck. I have, however, been shaped to what I am by experiences along the way.
When I was very young, our home was heated by a coal furnace. The coal was delivered to our house, stored in a coal bin, and then shoveled by my father into the furnace stoker. As I grew older, keeping the furnace stoked became my job.
The onset of winter was marked by the arrival of the coal truck. The driver would back the truck up to the small door through which the coal was loaded into the coal bin. The coal was then hand shoveled onto a chute by the delivery man. It was a job that took a while.
One day the coal man brought his children with him. He had a boy and a girl, and he and his children were Black. At this time in my childhood, I had yet to learn that I was of a “superior race.” My dad was in the process of building a rental house next door. There was a huge sandpile at the site and for the next hour or so, while their dad unloaded the truck, the three of us played together in the sandpile. When their dad finished unloading the truck and told his children it was time to leave, the little girl cried. I was very sad to see my new friends leave.
Some years later, I was at my cousin’s house. The cousins employed a sweet Black maid named Alma. Alma and I got along well. That day, we had taken our dog to the rabies clinic for its shot. My dog was skittish and my cousin asked if the dog had caused any trouble. “No,” I said, “they had a n….. there to hold the dog.” At that moment a curtain dropped between Alma and me. There was no way I would ever be able to overcome the blatant stupidity that I had just displayed. Alma and I never spoke of it, but we both knew things had changed.
That was over 60 years ago, and I still carry the burden. Maybe it helped me become a better person. I hope so. I am certainly a long way from being the person I wish I were. Years ago, I heard a radio interview with Patch Adams. The real Patch Adams, not Robin Williams. The main thing I carried away from that interview was never pass up the opportunity to acknowledge another person. Greet everyone you meet. Greet everyone with respect. Greet people without judgement. Greet them as fellow human beings. My dad used to say that everyone has a sign around their neck saying, “I am important.” Some people see the sign, others do not.
All religions proport love and compassion. Jesus taught unconditional love. Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam also teach unconditional love. This is love that is given without judgement, without conditions that must be met, love without boundaries that must fit a certain mold. As the Young Bloods wrote in the last two lines of the chorus of their song: “Everybody get together~Try and love one another~right now.”
Let’s at least try.
Dan Arp is retired and lives in Heiskell with wife Cindy.
