Is Our Skin the Same Color As Our Heart, Actions, Organs, Blood, Love, Kindness? Etc
Does it matter who donates the blood that will save your life? Or the kidney, heart, or any organ you need to prolong your life?
I moved next door to Charmaine Clarke, lovingly called Charm when she was four years old. I watched her grow into a kind young lady helping everyone in our community. Because she was so kind, even as a child, her friends and family would often tease, “You use your charm to heal and help others.”
She was encouraged to be a nurse because of her caring and loving personality. Charmaine enjoyed helping everyone. She studied hard with the help of her community in high school and did well. Her mom couldn’t afford college, but she worked and went to school. It took her longer, but she got her dream. Five years later, she was recruited to work as a Pediatric Nurse in England.
It was the happiest day of her life and her family, friends, and community were happy for her too. That was her calling, many people said.
She was sad to leave everyone she knew, to go thousands of miles away where she knew no one, but this opportunity she was encouraged to take.
She worked long hours at the hospital in London to keep herself busy since she had no family and friends in England.
After two years, she missed her family and took a visit home. She came to see my husband and I days later.
While chatting, I noticed she kept looking around her as if she was frightened or expecting something to happen. She jumped at the sound of my gate opening. Birds were playing in my mango tree and the flutter of their wings, birds' calls, and the leaves falling off scared her. I checked her eyes and read fear. The kind of fear that holds on, and never lets go!
“What wrong?” my heart asked, knowing the answer already. But my imagination wasn’t prepared for what the hell was harming this beautiful kindhearted young lady.
She breathes in and out heavily, in relief, I think because the sadness was slipping away from her eyes, pulling fear with it.
She began to describe the horrible episodes of racism she had to endure every day working in the hospital in London. How she is treated like nothing even though she has more experience than most of the other nurses there. How she has to walk too far to her car late at night because of where she is supposed to park. The same for where she lives because of her race. She can’t live where she wants to or can afford to.
My heart stopped for too long as I battled anger and memories of what my daughter went through with her RN hospital experience.
When will our earth realize that a caring heart has nothing to do with color or race?
She calls it Racism.
I call it Envy.
When someone wants to stop you from doing your best and your job, because of your color it’s envy.
Race never stops anyone from doing their best. Whatever reasons anyone has for preventing anyone from doing a good job.
“What you are enduring is affecting your nerves and will affect your ability to do and be your best,” I explained. “You are no longer in that negative and racist environment and your brain isn’t aware. That is dangerous and can become deadly.”
She closed her eyes, her body trembled as tears flowed. I continued to encourage, “Everything in life comes at a price. A price to your health, sanity, survival, peace of mind and success. What you are forced to endure right now, while doing a service that is needed on the job is illegal. But do you think it’s worth what you will or could lose in the state of fear your mental health is in right now?”
Wiping away tears, she refreshed my memory, “I always wanted to be a nurse because my heart cares for humanity. Why does our world allow others to make it so hard for a good heart to do what every human wants?”
Hugging her, then easing her from my embrace, enlightens, “everyone wants love and kindness, but some wants it on their own terms.”
“I wasn’t aware of my actions, and I have been here for ten days. No one else was aware of it either. Not even my mom and best friend. How come you were able to detect that something was wrong with me?” She asked.
“A caring heart, can feel and see the pain of another caring heart,” I educate her.
“What should I do?” she asked in frustration.
“Don’t you think your family should know the hell you must endure to make them happy?” My heart suggested remembering the many stories Jamaicans talked about the Racism they endure.
“Please,” she begged. “I don’t want to worry them. My mom would forbid me to go back. I need this job.”
I sighed, my heart ripping into tiny pieces, remembering the words of many others, ‘I need this job.’
“Your decision is your life. Your life should be your decision. Only you can and should make that choice,” I uplifted without my heart consent.
“It’s hard,” she wept. “This is the only way I can make enough money to help my Mom while doing something I enjoy doing and helping to heal our world. I am not harming anyone. I am doing a good job because all of the children love me. Children of every race. How come children don’t see me as a black nurse? They look and see my heart and how kind I am to them,” her frustration speaks.
“Children are taught hatred and cruelty by someone as they grow older, unaware that it’s a weapon that destroys,” I explain.
“I get cards and gift from them and their parents. They invited me to birthday parties and some graduations too,” she shared smiling.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/envy says the meaning of Envy is: a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc. an object of such feeling: Her intelligence made her the envy of her classmates.
https://www.google.com/search?q=racism+meaning; prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.
the belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially so as to distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another.
“Then it’s not racism you are enduring. It’s ENVY!” I repeat. “You can give up and let them win. Or continue doing a damn good job and shame them! Good will prevail because sensible and smart people are drawn to the good in others no matter the race. And they will ease away from the bad.”
Grabbing a deep breath, she smiled as the sun eased out from beneath the clouds, then said, “At work, caring for the children who are ill makes me so happy, I can’t stop smiling. And they end up smiling too as I approach them. You are right, even the racist and haters want kindness and love.”
“Then go back to England and kill them with it!”
Who started this kind of hatred and destruction of another race, hiding their envy behind racism? A kind heart isn’t associated with only one race. Neither is love, kindness, thoughtfulness, forgiveness, peace, etc., or all of the positive and good intentions or the bad humanity shares. Our world needs love, no matter the race. Our children need love and kindness no matter the race. Real love doesn’t care what your race is. Neither are the ones who need and rely on your kindness.
Our world needs more kindness. Does it matter who donates the blood that will save your life?
Or the kidney, heart, or any organ you need to prolong your life?
Do you pick and choose the color of the ones who donate blood or their organ?
Why must we continue to destroy each other?
I pray this young nurse's good intentions will prevail because, despite the race, our world needs more love and kindness, and right now, it doesn’t matter who you are or what color your skin is!
Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoy it and will savor more from some talented writers on this platform, whose links are below.
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