Displaying items by tag: safety
At what point is enough enough?
As the violence on the streets rages on throughout the U.S., one has to stop and ask the very pertinent question . . . At what point is ENOUGH ENOUGH?
I don’t care if you’re talking protests (which probably started out as peaceful and then descended into the chaos we see now) or anything else – there is a limit to everything.
Was the killing of George Floyd WRONG?
YES. Obviously.
Should we take action against the guilty officer(s)?
That one is so obvious I’m not even going to dignify the question with a response . . .
But again, and I want to ask people – at what point is enough enough?
Do we simply burn the entire country down to the ground because of the actions of a certain group of people (a MINORITY)?
Do the actions of ONE guilty cop speak for ALL?
I can tell you one damn thing – cops in general have a tough job to do, and (at least in the U.S.) they do it exceedingly well for the most part (and I’m not talking the exceptions to the rule).
I remember one night I was walking back on campus (when I was in college) to my dorms (late at night, around 4AM or so) after an all night programming session, and was stopped by an officer asking to see my ID.
No reason given. None at all.
And yet, the WAY in which he said it was so friendly that I had no option but to pull out my ID’s – both of them, hehe, and show it to him.
“Here you go man”, I said.
“Thanks man”, he replied, handing one of my ID’s back. “I just wanted the student ID”.
He made a quick call.
“Ok, sir, sorry to bother you!” and off he went . . . or was about to, until I spoke again.
“Don’t worry about it buddy. I’m not doing drugs or anything. Got enough on my plate to worry about!”
The officer laughed back, shook my hand, and off he went.
Flash back to another scene outside the dorms where I lived on campus when the cops once “asked me to wait outside” before entering the building.
Being I was in a rush, this ticked me off a bit, but just a little.
I asked why.
“Because someone that looks Hispanic like you just committed a robbery and ran” was the non committal response.
Mine?
Ok, no problem.
In another 10 minutes or so, the officers apparently figured I wasn’t the one, hehe, and said I could leave, while apologizing again.
And I did so.
And the above two are cases that could easily have gone down as “tragic” or at the very least “racial discrimination” cases.
I COULD have jumped up and down about “racism”, if you think about it, and yet, that would be the last thing I’d do.
Things happen for a reason. People say what they do and think what they do for a reason. And while blanket categorization ain’t right, try telling that to the cop who has to solve a crime – or detain a person – often in the spur and HEAT of the moment – with weapons and much else involved.
Sometimes, you just have to co-operate with the cops, and in the vast majority of the “tragic” events, I’ve seen evidence that the person didn’t co-operate at some point.
Am I saying what happened was right?
Am I saying stopping me on campus on “suspicion” was right, and that my white buddy at the time wasn’t stopped?
NO.
But things happen, my friend. And for a reason.
And when things descend to the levels that businesses and normal life across the nation is being destroyed, then it’s time to call a spade a spade and call the people engaging in said activities what they ARE – that being domestic terrorists.
There is NO excuse for the looting and vandalism (and destruction of businesses owned by people of all colors, my friend – in some cases businesses that took years to build).
Hate does NOT go away with more hate (see what Martin Luther King had to say on that).
And while Prez Trump is being pilloried as usual for his statements on bringing the military in – well – to those that are pillorying him – WHERE do we draw a line in the sand?
Obviously the States have not been able to control what is happening, and keep it within LIMITS.
Do we just let the entire country descend into mass chaos and anarchy (not to mention the COVID crisis which hasn’t really been solved as of yet – and no I ain’t advocating more lockdowns!)?
I think NOT.
I think there is a limit to everything, and someone needs to take a stand, and I personally am glad Donald Trump has taken a stand – albeit an unpopular one (but sometimes, as Alan – a guy on my list – once said “unpopular is often what needs to be DONE”).
And so it goes with fitness too my friend.
Sometimes, you have to take a look at that expanding girth – waistline – and “gluteneous maximum of plenty” and declare that “enough is enough”.
Sometimes, you just have to stand up and say that TODAY is the day I’m going to start to change my life – both fitness wise – and OVERALL!
And sometimes, in fact often times, you need to draw a line in the sand, and say enough is enough, and the change – back to positive – begins NOW.
Or ask yourself the question I posed above.
And that, my friend, given what is going on globally seems to be about as pertinent of a topic I could talk about today.
Back with more later!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
P.S. – If you’re one of the DOERS that is READY to drop the negativity, the excess flabbage and start to make something of your life starting NOW – then join the 0 Excuses SHIP right HERE - https://0excusesfitness.com/membership-account/membership-levels/