Former NBA player Stephen Jackson spoke today at a rally for slain Minneapolis man George Floyd. Apparently a childhood friend of Floyd’s, Jackson spoke passionately about the injustice of his friend’s murder at the hands of police. Jackson’s words were moving, especially viewed from the perspective of a childhood fan of Jacksons (go pacers).
The Problem of "Common Sense"
His last comment was interesting. He stated that common sense is not common, because how can people watch the same videos of Floyd’s choking and yet come to different conclusions? His point echoes something I’ve been saying a lot to people recently. COVID-19 has prompted a lot of conversations where I’ll hear people saying that in order to go out in public safely (that is, without spreading germs), people just need to “practice common sense.” But every time I hear this statement, it puts me in an awkward position. Here’s why: I don’t believe that common sense is actually a thing, and I stand by that. Common sense assumes everyone has the same mental grid through which they view and think about life, morals, ethics, etc. But if this so-called “sense” is so common, why is American society so totally divided between different worldviews? More to Jackson’s point, why do so many people disagree with one another on what happened in the videos? I think most look at it and call it murder, but there are some who say, “We need more information,” others who say, “What did Floyd do to prompt the cop’s behavior,” and probably more who say, “I just feel differently about this than you do.” But the response to the video should be a response of hurt for the man whom, regardless of what he was doing prior to arrest, the cops were sworn in to protect. Instead of protecting him, he was slain. We should all have the same response. But our varying life experiences and ways of processing, among other factors, prompt us to respond to it differently. Why is this?
It is because, while we are made in God’s image and therefore care deeply about justice and want to see life flourish, we are a fallen people who have minds darkened by the sin within us as well as the effects of sin around us. We are not neutral, nor are we objective. We are therefore incapable in and of ourselves to healthily process stories like this, and if we have passions that chafe at such stories (whether because of experiences or disposition), the response might be even more off balance.
Right Thoughts and Actions in Jesus
This is why I’m a Christian. I believe that only the resurrected One can, through His Spirit, lead us to find balance between our quad needs to a) grieve the loss of life, b) work to correct injustices in a fallen world, c) consider how best to sympathize with the hurting, and d) maintain a clear head about what are the real issues. Biblically, the real issue, as always, is this: People and their relationship with God, which then directly effects how they treat others (cf. 1 John 4:20, 5:2-3). Murder is within each of us (Prov. 1:16, Rom. 3:15), and Jesus became the murdered One so that He’d then become the resurrected One who is finally the saving One. Rising, He then gave His Spirit (Ac. 2:33) so that His followers could think and behave truly, substantially, and lovingly, to God’s glory and the advancement of His gracious Kingdom.
But the only way to think and behave in such a way is to own up to our part in the mess, stop casting judgments on others who are struggling to process this too, and do the tough double duty of a) praying on our world’s behalf, and b) applying the Lord’s life-giving truth to a world that is trying to destroy itself again.
Apart from Jesus, truth is relative to each person with their unique experience and disposition; hence, Jackson’s and my related statements. But in Jesus, truth is a Person (Eph. 4:21), which means it can be known, applied, and quantified albeit however imperfectly it will be in our fallen hands. Still, as I’ve said a billion times before and will say a billion times more, our only hope is starting with Jesus, the risen One who is there to help us if we'll come and learn from him.
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