"What are you?

"That is a question I hear a lot. It isn’t that I’ve ever considered myself particularly difficult to peg for an ethnicity, age, or gender. But with our newly popular ride sharing apps, I’ve found myself sharing lots of one hour experiences with complete strangers. And for some reason the question of what I am seems to be a (quite unwelcome) entrée into conversation. It’s meant to peg a racial identity when it’s asked. Really, shouldn’t we all be asking this of everyone we meet? But more importantly, shouldn’t we be asking this of ourselves?

Ask yourself as if you’re being interrogated by a stranger, as if you’re a target of Plato’s incessant inquisitions. It is not simply enough in our times to declare a political affiliation or even a general area about the right-to-left spectrum.

Who are you really? Are you the person who despairs at the state of the world, the poverty, inequality both economically and in power, injustice and war? Do you find a reason to blame the wretched for their wretchedness before deciding whether they deserve grace?

I would like to submit to you that it is not that the unexamined life is not worth living; but rather that the unexamined belief is not worth believing, it is indefensible.

As we take this journey in exploring the topics of social justice and equality there will often be issues that strike a chord with you. I hope that you will first see our little column as propaedeutic and use it as impetus to explore yourself as you become engaged to your global and local communities.

In our next, first full piece, we’ll explore our responsibility to others and how that relates to our sense of morality and spirituality.

Happy Thinking and Happy 2017!

Columnist: Dezarae Garnett (All Rights Reserved)