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” as a preposition, helps avoid ambiguity and blame, which 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 (12) Recruiting Stations that covered an area of over 1000 miles radius with a Black population of less than 10%. Going days without seeing another person of color was a renewed manifestation of the loneliness I felt in my first year at sea.

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 and praying Psalm 56:3 for knowing I had the Lord’s protection, Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you.