All lives matter, but not all lives are the same.
All lives matter and all lives have inherent value as the bearers of God’s image. We agree on this. Your life circumstances, however, are not-at-all the same as others.
“The lives of human trafficking victims matter!” you say.
“Are you serious?,” I say, “all lives matter.”
“We must stand up for the lives of the victims of sex trafficking!” you say.
“Come on,” I say, “we must stand up for all life.”
“We must protect the rights of the victims of forced labor!” you say.
“Dude, get real.” I say, “Everyone’s rights must be protected.”
“But wait,” you continue, “these modern-day slaves need special attention. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked all around the world, including right here at home, in our community! Victims can be of any age, race, gender, or nationality and suffer violence, manipulation, and deceit that leads them into trafficking situations. Something must be done! These lives are valuable, and they are being destroyed each and every day!
“Sure,” I say, “I don’t disagree with you that these lives are important. But all lives are important. All lives matter. To say ‘trafficked lives matter’ means ignoring everyone else. It means ignoring me.
“No it doesn’t,” you say. “Your life matters, of course, just as much as the life of everyone else on this big, blue marble. But your life is not in imminent danger. You aren’t facing the same day-to-day inhuman reality of suffering as they do. We must boldly proclaim that “trafficked lives matter” as a floodlight on this egregious evil!
“So…,” I say, “are you saying that my life matters, but it doesn’t matter as much as someone caught in the world of trafficked lives?”
“No,” you say, “not at all. Every individual life matters as much as the next. No one is, by nature, more or less inherently valuable than another.”
“Exactly,” I say, “We cannot give greater value to any single group of people; all lives must matter to all of us.”
“Yes, of course,” you continue, “all lives matter, and all lives have inherent value as the bearers of God’s image. We agree on this. Your life circumstances, however, are not at all the same as others. Your value as a human is not at risk in the same way, and you don’t live under the same system of oppression that mutes your voice and handcuffs your rights.
“Okay,” I say, “I’ll give you that.”
“It’s not a competition.” you say, “Proclaiming ‘X lives matter’ is not an effort to devalue the lives of ‘non-X’ and it’s not the same as saying that only X lives matter. No, it’s simply an effort to focus attention on those whose lives are not being valued or protected in the same way as others. It’s an effort to lift others up, as much as possible, to true equality with others; to give them the opportunity for life in the best way possible.”
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?” I question.
“Yeah,” you say, “not to mention basic human dignity and value as people created in the image of God.”
I remained silent for a time, not wanting to admit that my previous view might have been wrong or at least misguided. Finally, I spoke again, “So…maybe it's like how a person drowning in the ocean needs special attention,” I reasoned. “To boldly proclaim, in that moment, that ‘the lives of the non-drowning also matter’ is to miscalculate the need of a particular person in a particular moment. It would mean focusing attention equally on those people safely surfing the waves and enjoying the sunny beach.”
“That’s a good analogy,” you say.
“Yeah,” I say, “no lifeguard would continue tending to the small cut on a child’s foot or the woman whose purse has disappeared when another human being is facing the real and imminent danger of losing their life in the undertow.”
“Yes,” you say, “that’s it. You got it!”
I continued thinking to myself that the lives of every human being are inherently valuable, no one individual more than any other. Yet, there are times when it is good and right to focus attention on a particular individual or group of people facing unnecessary dangers, uncommon obstacles, and physical limitations. The physically disabled and mentally ill, perhaps. Or the immunocompromised and elderly. The unborn?
But none of these, perhaps, have experienced such long-standing oppression and deprivation of rights as the people of color (POC) living within our borders, people who share the same constitutional rights and freedoms as I do but often find it difficult, if not impossible, to enjoy these rights in the say way that I do.
Those who go to great lengths to defend the rights of the unborn would never allow their mission to be covered by a blanket of “All Lives Matter,” and rightly so. In the same way, we cannot allow the systemic injustice faced by POCs to be shrouded by a cloud of “All Lives Matter” only to be forgotten, ignored, or discredited. Doing so devalues and discredits the very real danger, oppression, and injustice faced in the daily routines of their lives. Their lives matter, and it matters when they are treated as if they don’t. This does not mean that only their lives matter or that the lives of others are less important. It does mean that something must be done. Attention is due. A floodlight is needed to bring light to a dark situation.
Could it be true, too, that POCs are not the only people in this category? Women? Children? Ethnic minorities? Others?
My knees began to shake as, for the first time, I realized the enormity of it all. I have never known real fear, real discrimination, or real inequality…not the kind that makes my very existence a risk to my own life. Not the kind that makes every day an unbearable hell. Not the kind that shuts me down, turning me into something less-than-human.
“Lord,” I pray, “forgive me my ignorance and inability to see through the clouds of my own privileged life. I am thankful for the blessings but maybe I should put them to the side. Perhaps your purpose will extend beyond my happy little life. I’m scared. I don’t even know where to start. Help me, Lord, to see people the way you see them. Let the inherent value of every human being — each one bearing the image of God — be a foundational principle of my life.
Give me the courage and wisdom to actively seek the well-being of those in danger, to resist systemic oppression in all its forms, and to sit down and listen to the voices of those who are under the weight of such things. Let your love — your uncommon, unrelenting, unchanging love flood my life and overflow into the lives of those around me. Let my life be a life that leads others to the source of hope, peace, and new life. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
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