9/11 was a scary time for the United States as a nation. My husband & I happened to be in New York that week and were in complete shock of what was happening right around us.

The following weekend, I recall watching the news and hearing about an “Arab-looking” gas station attendant being attacked, in an act of revenge. It turns out that “Arab-looking” man was Indian.

That shook me to the core. I am Indian. My father is Indian. My husband and brothers-in-law are Indian. The list goes on & on.

I was afraid for them. I was afraid that what happened to that innocent gas station attendant was a sign of things to come…for anyone that looked like him…or me.

We all are concerned when tragic things happen. But when those things happen to your “type” of people…if we are being honest…something intensifies.

What do I mean by type? You name it. Anything really. Your race. Your religion. Your gender. Your profession. Your hometown. Your neighborhood.

The movie, “A Time to Kill”, tells the story of a young white lawyer defending a black man accused of murder. The men he killed were the same two men who had raped his 10-year-old daughter. In one of the final scenes of the movie, the lawyer gives his closing arguments, including the horrific accounts of that day, detail by detail. Every one is held captive by the story but then he ends it with this… “Now, imagine she is white”.

When he says that, there is a visible shift that takes place in that courtroom.

When we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, we can’t fully experience what they have gone through, but we can get a glimpse of it.

Imagine that the robberies you heard about on the news are actually happening on your street.
Imagine that the people being martyred in different parts of the world believe what you believe.
Imagine that your daughter is being discriminated against because her lifestyle is different than the people around you.

And…now…thinking to the events of this past week…
Imagine that these men who were killed look like you…or maybe like me…

What is our part in all of this? That is a question that I don’t know the exact answer to. But what I do know is that if we could just “imagine” that we are “them”, maybe our answer would be different than it has been.

Red, yellow, black, and white…they are precious in His sight.

~Anu

*Image provided by quotefancy.com.