Crash

You know those things that you know you are aware of but just do not think about all the time because it is just part of life that you have accepted? Well, I experienced a real eye-opener last night while watching a "heavy" movie for a Sunday - "Crash". You think you know who you are. You have no idea. The tagline of the movies was "Live your life at the point of impact." Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters: a black police detective with a drugged out mother and a thieving younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the distracted district attorney and his irritated and pampered wife, a racist veteran cop (caring for a sick father at home) who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful black Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with racist cop, a Persian-immigrant father who buys a gun to protect his shop, a Hispanic locksmith and his young daughter who is afraid of bullets, and more. It was amazing and somewhat scary to watch a movie about real life challenges, such as racism, health issues, occupations, etc.

I ask myself if the people in my life really know what it is like to be a minority. Have they had to deal with some of the struggles I have had to in my life by not being white? How would they have handled some of the challenges I have overcome with racism? How much worse do people who are minorities and did not grow up in America have it rather than people such as myself who are miniorities but did grow up in America? (*Next Blog - my recent racism experience)

Moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other.