I don’t understand.

Maybe it’s because I’m Caucasian.

Possibly it’s due to the fact that I was born with a certain amount of privilege.

Could it be that I am missing some obvious point, again, about the nature of humanity and what makes us act the way we do?

“I don’t agree with you, and you don’t agree with me. Our perspectives differ. Our belief systems conflict. We don’t live in the same world. You can’t understand me, and I don’t want to understand you. So you should die. So I can live without the conflict of being human pressing in upon me at every waking moment.”

Bullshit.

Being human is living through conflict. Challenging our daily reality and growing through it. Isolation and absolution lead to a dead end – emotionally, spiritually, ethically – and in all the ways and means that that lump of grey matter in our heads interprets our hurts, as it works alongside that chunk of meat in our chests.

I fail to understand on a daily basis. I can’t possibly know where you are coming from. Very likely your perspective might not jive with mine. It’s entirely possible I could say or do something that you might consider offensive.

We may never agree.

Oh well. So what? Big deal.

A planet full of individuals, and we expect consensus? We demand uniformity?

Who do we think we are?

Seven or so billion people, waking up, seeing the world through the only eyes we have to see through.

It is astonishing we’ve made it this far.

But not really.

We chose to be here.

Life, all aspects of it, is conscious choice. That is our birthright. Our destiny. Our personal freedom from a Universe of total calamity and chaos.

We get to choose. One day at a time. One small choice after another. Small moves, Ellie.

Some choose to hate. Others choose to love unconditionally. We participate, or we isolate. The full spectrum from white to black, and all the shades of grey.

Last night, some chose to hurt, injur and destroy a fragile piece of humanity. Understanding the why of the thing will only drag us around in circles.

So I choose not to try to understand.

I move forward, choosing to empathize with those people who suffered. To send my heartfelt condolences and best wishes to their recovery.

I choose not to focus on the ill wills of those who have chosen to isolate, to harm, to hate.

Because I don’t understand. And I never will.

There are seven or so billion people on the planet. We aren’t going anywhere.

Unless we go together.

So choose your own adventure.

But choose wisely. The rest of us are watching.