What do we do with fear?

I was watching a dog show the other day, and while I don’t own any dogs anymore, I still find them very interesting. Some dogs have very strange behavior and the dog expert seems to know exactly where that behavior comes from. Of Course the expert himself seems to have a sense of aurora around them that does speak to the misbehaving dog. When he walks in the room, command is always almost  immediate. Nevertheless, some dogs have aggressive behavior that seem to cause them to bite or snip at people. Most of the time, according to the dog expert this is because of fear or insecurity. Dogs that are afraid lash out. Dogs that are insecure can be aggressive. 

In the last few days, if you have been contemplating going out especially as an AAPI, I would like you to consider what and how you might interact with someone who might come across as aggressive. What would you say? How would you respond? Would you understand where that anger is coming from? Would you get bitten? Would you fight back?

In the middle of this season, I would encourage you to continue your daily routines and at the same time be empowered by the knowledge of knowing where that threat comes from. It’s essential to understand the root of such childish, unimpressive behavior. Mature people DO NOT go around raging or in psychological terms leaking all over people/strangers. They just don’t.  

Racists shouldn’t be feared, because Racists live in Fear. Therefore, I encourage you to embody strength and hope through living your life with the same empowerment that lets you understand where someone’s hurts are coming from and why so often that has little to do with you personally. 

Here’s the thing, racists are not the majority. Racists are in the minority. Oftentimes they are the most aggressive, because they are the MOST hurt. They are the most vocal, because their personal pain and experiences are SO great. Anonymously quoted, Hurt people hurt people. 

So what do you do? What’s the solution? 

We must have belief in ourselves, our Community, and in Jesus. 

We have to believe in ourselves.  that we are enough, that we do belong. When we’re being told to “Go back to our country!” or to “speak english” We must believe and know that we are enough and that we belong. Dig deep and practice, use positive self talk and vocalize, “I am strong and I do belong; I am enough.” By engaging in this practice you are reinforcing positive behavior with positive thought. Substitute those negative thinking errors with a positive narrative. 

We must have hope in our Communities. Not everyone is against us. Our local community might be seem overpowered by that one loud voice, but I believe that it does not represent the majority. Listen, even in the rural armpits of our country, it may feel like people do not want us here, but I guarantee most people still eat at the local ethnic chinese and mexican spots. THey continue to visit our nail salons to look “pretty”. We are valuable to our community. This tells us that as angry as a few individuals might be, support is still there. We must believe and know that our community is better because we are there. This is across the board. We are stronger because we are diverse. In our local communities, we need each other. As AAPI, we already are the helpers. 

And of course Jesus. We must have hope and belief in the source and that is Jesus. He is the greatest agent of change, and Jesus changed lives personally. We’ve got to depend and live like He continues to move, because He absolutely does. Does this behavior surprise Him? I would argue that it doesn’t. Racism and hateful rhetoric has existed all throughout time. We don’t cancel or justify that talk or behavior today, but rather we find comfort that our Creator knows the pain and suffering that we are experiencing and that He is SOON coming and for that I am thankful. 

As a helper of people, we must be the one that sets the tone. Like a dog whisper to an aggressive animal. No matter if I'm at the grocery store, or at the park. We will stand firm and tall and know that we belong, We make our community better and that if we are approached by someone who is hurt, I can thoughtfully embrace and know where some of that aggression is coming from, but we won’t let it ruin our day rather, we openly and creatively look for opportunities to embrace, educate, and love. 

“When they go low, we go high” -Michelle Obama