Peace is not just the absence of any war;
But the defense of our hard-earned freedoms.
Today, we do not live, or rest, in peace.
There may be no turbulence on our soil,
No chaotic bloodshed scorching our earth,
But that doesn't mean the ship is steady.
Our nation might be at what they call "Peace",
But as long as justice is not upheld,
As long as our freedoms are trampled on,
As long as our courts stay in lawlessness,
We are so, so very far from that Peace.
To reach that Arcadia, that Promised Land,
Our laws must change; our officers must change,
Our people must change; our mindsets must change,
We must change. Change has to sweep up our hearts.
Now.
More than anything, Ferguson and Garner must tell us to change. Neither extreme is right; neither looting and rioting nor blatant injustice. We must find some compromise, some middle ground--if not for us, but for the restless souls of our dead brothers.