Since leaping off the high dive and proclaiming that A Stronger Cord is a movement to get America moving in a better direction, much time has been spent in community gatherings. Usually these moments are manifested as community activism on high alert because of conflict.
At least in Denver, the latest? The much publicized shooting of a 17-year-old teenage girl. She and several friends had been partying from Sunday evening into the early-morning hours Monday, stole a car before being caught by the cops in a northeast Denver alley around sunrise. What happened next is in dispute. It resulted in an officer, allegedly in fear of being crushed between the car and a brick wall, firing several shots and killing the young woman who was driving.
It’s a flaky-snowfall Saturday afternoon, and concerned humans of all colors were gathered in a church. We were discussing the bad and ugly of the situation. It was productive. It will be interesting to see if any action comes from it. I sure hope so. Honestly, ASC would love to be involved as a mediator. Conflict resolution? How about this for a twist? Challenge the key stakeholders with, “Before we even THINK about discussing this, let’s jump into some workout clothes and get a sweat on.”
We know the research. Exercise is a great stress reducer. We’ve also discovered, quite by accident, that it’s a great equalizer. I love sharing videos of ASC workouts. Viewers are watching a bunch of folks executing group calisthenics and working up a lather. I query, “Pick out the folks who live in missions, mansions or somewhere in between?” Darn tough to do.
Anyway, back to the point. I’m sitting there listening to one impassioned person after another speak about important social issues that boil down to relationships and responsibilities. Many speakers had wonderful points about what police could do better: Same for lawmakers, the criminal justice system, parents and kids, too. In this case, it seems there’s plenty of room for improvement across the board.
But what hit this simple dude from Missouri up side the noggin with such force that I’m still trying to recover is this tragedy: The Colorado State Legislature allocates four times as much money to incarceration as it does to education.
A Stronger Cord shouts to the rooftops to anybody who will listen, “We have too many isolated, unfit and stressed dudes.” Everywhere. Missions, mansions and every place in between. After hearing that startling funding imbalance between educating our kids and correcting our offenders, is there little wonder we’re in this pickle?
We need new ideas. It starts with coming together and hanging out. ASC’s Knuckleheads would suggest, “It starts with the workout.”
Like everything in life, there’s no guarantees. This much is hard to dispute. In a country with an obesity problem, at least we’ll get in better shape. Who knows, we also might get lucky and build bridges between chasms that divide us.
Worth a try isn’t it?
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