A life of color connects the black and white …

While very young and impressionable, we learn to see things as black or white, true or false. Real life is full of color. But old beliefs can keep us from seeing what’s that …. and until we do, we can’t connect all the black and white dots, which is why we often feel separate and at odds.

Some argue that Barack Obama is black or white. He can appear to be one or the other, or identify with one or the other; but he is not. He is both.In truth, he appears to be both; and I trust he identifies with both. Clearly, a majority of people identify with him … and while it would be naive to ignore race as a factor, it is one of many. Nonetheless, some — like proud parents — wanted to claim President Barack Obama as their own. He already has two parents, though; one is black, and one is white.

“If my theory of relativity is proven successful, Germany will claim me as a German, and France will declare that I am a citizen of the world. Should my theory prove untrue, France will say that I am a German, and Germany will declare that I am a Jew,” said Albert Einstein.

Some would claim one part over another, because they’re prejudice against one of the parts, and trying to reinforce their own worth. But as a global society, we can claim the truth with the intent of honoring the union, not just the black or white, but all races, not just diverse believers but nonbelievers.

We are still growing into our union, though. And we need not be so “politically correct” that we turn a blind eye to that truth. We can still see black and white. But we also see color … and we are learning not to distort it based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or political affiliation.

We can, we will, continue to break down the stereotypes that keep us in fear. But we have to look with a willingness to discard ill-founded beliefs. In some cases, the “truth” we grew up with is no longer the truth. In other cases, it was never the truth. And in still other cases, we have to look at real injury we helped create, and be the change we wish to see.

In fifth grade, I attended a junior high school in the Midwest with only three black students. During recess, one of them put her hand over my mouth and twirled me in a circle until I dropped. I was dizzy and petrified. I rode the school bus with one of the other black students, who lived only a half mile away from me. I walked to his house and sold Christmas cards to his parents.

To look at how many dots we have already connected, is to be inspired to connect more of them. The connections are made from the inside out. The connections transcend more than race, religion, and politics. The connections transcend culture, income, education, and family. To see what we have in common, that transcends our differences, is to invalidate our fear of differences.

Let’s see the world as it is. A rainbow of diversity. Only what is real, only love, is worth building on.