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Garden Spices asked Social Media to share thoughts on our topic, "Compromise
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Compromise is part of the collateral damage lost in a pervasive worldview of "my way or the highway," we see this from the top down, especially now. The President of the United States is targeting and eliminating, more or less, anyone who doesn't agree with him. Our Congress has been more divided than ever for the last two decades mainly because they have rejected compromise and, in fact, have interpreted any notion of compromise as a weakness. Arguments are settled less by compromise than by a bullet. Many marriages are destroyed by an unwillingness to compromise, sometimes on the smallest matters. Ultimately, our children learn what they live, and in a society that has become increasingly intransigent - from the top down - the art of compromise not only becomes a less appealing option but an option that we increasingly lose our ability to engage in. Compromise has itself been compromised in the matrix of a changing world, and unfortunately, it's losing its value, in my opinion.
Compromise is only possible when both entities understand the value of give and take. Turning the other cheek is only an option when everyone plays by the same rules. IMO, we are in an era where a war has to come before compromise can be considered. Compromise, at this point, means capitulation.
(No Compromise here)
There was an article from CNN on my news feed this morning about economic boycotts. Blacks represent 8.9% of Target's customers, and unless others join in the boycott and the boycott goes on for a significant amount of time, it won't make a difference.
When I was four years old in the spring of 1963, all I could think about was getting new white patent leather shoes for Easter. I had worn my black patent leather shoes all of the fall and winter and had outgrown my old shoes. Coming to Tuscumbia meant going to Kaye's in Florence and getting new shoes.
When we arrived, my mother explained there would be no new shoes even though the old ones were tight. There was a boycott of stores in Florence. I was disappointed, really disappointed--I wanted new white shoes for Easter, but somehow I understood why we weren't buying anything new and how important it was not to go against the boycott. My grandmother kept repeating, "We need to teach our dollars some sense and close our pocketbooks." I also knew it was important work that my grandfather was doing and important for us all to stick together. At four, all I knew was that I wanted new white shoes, but I wore those tight old black shoes that Easter and an old dress and felt like I was doing my own part for civil rights.
I wonder if Target misses me as much as I miss Target. Whether or not a boycott will make a real difference in their bottom line, I do know that I still think about that experience and the lessons I learned. I also remember that by our next visit, there were Black women working at Kaye's and the Bootery, and I got new shoes. My toes were relieved.
We thank several brave souls who commented on "Compromise," which is a daunting topic these days. We are stirring the pot again with our next topic, "Resist." What does this concept mean to you; are you resisting through activism, or are you resisting the news to save your mental state? There are several possibilities for exploring this topic. Jump in and become part of the Garden Spices family.
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