People who can share thoughts and feelings without demeaning others have the love of God in their hearts. Holding a conversation with statements that use the pronoun “I” in the salutation, rather than being accusatory with the word “you,” while avoiding ambiguity and blame, demonstrates a willingness to listen while maintaining a respectful tone. Rooted in Mark 12:31

My last tour of duty in the Navy, 1981-1983, was as a District Zone Supervisor for Navy Recruiting in Southern Indiana and Northern Kentucky. Responsible for (6) Recruiting Stations that covered an area of over 8000 miles with a Black population of less than 10%. Going days without seeing another person of color was a new manifestation of loneliness.

Systematically accosted many, many times in a racially combative world, because of the complexion of one’s skin, first of all, requires faith. Wearing a white uniform in a position of authority contradicted the ideologues of the territorial mindset. The embedded empirical belief was pragmatically well grounded, which I accept from the powers of my endowed teachings from my childhood, in judgment and hypocrisy (Matthew 7:1-3), learning that sometimes it is best to give the devil his due by offering a seat and just walking away.