Without signing anything, we enter into a contract with those around us. When our social contract is broken a replacement must be found for society to move forward.
I found myself without much of a voice this week, given the place of white male privilege I speak from. I don’t have much to add to the conversation, as it isn’t my voice that needs to be heard. So I tried to listen. In listening, I came across Trevor Noah’s May 29th YouTube post about George Floyd and the protests and riots around the country. I highly recommend checking it out.
In listening to Trevor’s calm, heart-felt perspective, he offered a phrase that really help me – that of a social contract. The idea that we as communities have an implicit and sometimes unspoken contract with each other in the expectations of how to treat one another.
Trevor went on to describe that when this contract is broken it is difficult for the “have-nots”, the disadvantaged, to reestablish that contract without upheaval and unrest. Given the powerlessness of the African-American community towards violence from the law enforcement community, the massive protests we are witnessing make sense – and are even necessary.
This helped me a lot. I am deeply sad about the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery and the systemic racism of Amy Cooper. There are countless other examples of this broken contract. But, the idea of the contract existing creates a pathway to something new. It creates a mechanism to sue for equality and peace. We need a new contract.
Given all of the disparity in our culture, protests make sense as a way of resetting that contract. You have a role to play in creating the next contract. How will you play your role? Now is the time to act. – www.rhoadslifecoaching.com
finding meaning and purpose in daily life