Author: rodgerss2023

Dear Reader,

Your world is full of beautiful things, you are acutely aware of this. You spend your lives chasing the next beautiful thing, exhausting yourselves running on a spinning wheel of things which never satisfy. Perhaps more than anything you chase the idea of feminine beauty. You raise your daughters to believe they must meet certain expectations of beauty in order to be loved. You raise your boys to believe that having the prettiest wife is an accomplishment. 

I feel I should clarify that there is nothing wrong with having the desire to look nice and present yourself in a certain way. That is not the problem I am writing to you about. The problem comes when there is an outside pressure to achieve a certain standard of beauty. Your magazines are filled with the latest extreme diets and celebrity bodies on display, after hours of photoshop to make them flawless. You are consuming unhealthy standards on a daily basis, how can you expect yourselves to maintain healthy standards?

Your society has created a breeding ground for mental illness through these broken standards. You unintentionally promote depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Your lies weave their ways into young women, leading them to believe that until they meet your set standards they are unworthy and insufficient. I am compelled to ask who you are to put a definition on beauty? Who are you to determine a woman’s hair must look just like this, her body must look exactly this way regardless of whether or not that is healthy? You determine that their skin must be a certain way, their eyes a certain color and nothing different could possibly be beautiful in your eyes. 

Young women spend their lives chasing your approval, as their mothers, fathers, friends, and strangers they pass on the street. When they fail to get it they often break themselves trying. They starve themselves, neglect their basic human needs, they chase anything and anyone who makes them feel worthy. They exercise beyond what is healthy, risking their wellbeing to reach unattainable standards. 43% of people suffering from Anorexia have considered suicide, compared to 38% of Bulimic patients and 23% of those suffering from BED (Binge Eating Disorder) and OSFED (Other Specified Eating Disorder). 

Young men are suffering from this as well. They are given strict standards on what a man should look like. They are encouraged to have a certain percentage of body fat and have prominent muscles to be considered masucline. This leads to an increase in drug use for muscle gain. Young men work to prove their masculinity, yet you stare blindly past their suffering. Young men undergo pressure to fluctuate their weight in order to maintain positions on athletic teams, regardless of if this is in their best interest. 

An estimated 110 young athletes die of cardiac arrest annually in America, the risk for this greatly increases when a young person rejects a balanced diet or begins taking drugs. While this seems to be a relatively small number, should you not strive to make it even smaller? If you can lessen the risks by promoting healthy eating and expose the risks of drugs, why would you choose not to? 

You each play an important role in this issue. You must stop promoting unhealthy ideals and start promoting healthy eating. Stop blindly following the latest trends in dieting and exercise and find what is healthiest for your body and your kids. Parents and guardians, your children are looking to you to show them how to treat their bodies, when you have a negative connotation of your body they will likely view their body negatively as well. 

Promote positive body image in your families. Do not ignore signs of eating disorders or drug abuse with the mentality that this young person is simply improving their appearance. If you or someone you know shows signs of an eating disorder please reach out for help, there are resources that can help. If you or someone you know is struggling with drug abuse please seek help, rehabilitation is possible. 

Love one another, that is the true beauty of your world. 

Sincerely,

INJUSTICE

Dear Reader,

Your strides towards equality have, in some ways, been very successful. However, despite the limited success you have witnessed you have convinced yourselves that you have done all that needs to be done in regards to equality. You assure yourselves that racism, sexism, classism, and religious discrimination no longer exist. You are unable to see that these things are still raging in your country because you are not a victim of them. Some of you are subject to these inequalities yet because you are not victimized by them you fail to notice them.

 What I mean by this is that many of these issues coincide with one another which causes a higher level of vulnerability to the effects of discrimination. For example an impoverished woman is much more likely to notice sexism than a woman in the upper middle class. An upper class woman might not notice things such as the gender pay gap and pink tax, whereas a woman in a lower class would find great significance in this difference. This is not the only instance in which a person is subject to inequality without realizing it.

Many of you are raised to view the inequalities in your lives as normal, and thus think nothing of them. You are raised with the understanding that saying a prayer in school could result in being bullied, thus you do not see the injustice in the bully’s actions. Young religious women are raised with the understanding that people will see their long skirts and shaylas as prudish and silly. This is a large factor in solving inequality, you must teach your young ones that inequality should never be normalized. 

The next step to creating a solution for inequality is to teach yourselves and those around you about differences and to celebrate them for the gift they are. Americans, you spend an approximated $154 billion dollars annually on international travel. You want to go and experience other cultures and religions, yet you ridicule your own neighbors for displaying aspects of their culture and religion. You yearn to peer into other worlds, yet you keep your windows closed to the world waiting outside them. 

You watch films which display other cultures, you go to restaurants that serve international foods, you seek out culture, you are intrigued by the beauty and differences within it. Without culture your world is empty, it is grey and dull. Still you smother the cultural and religious differences which exist in your lives. Individuality is what makes your world so beautiful, celebrate it. I encourage you to ask questions, people are eager to share their cultures with others. I encourage you to share your own stories, people cannot understand something that has never been explained to them. 

As for gender differences, I encourage you to understand the benefits of gender equality. By offering women equal pay you will see a surge in job creation. Your households will be much happier, your relationships with your children will improve drastically. You will experience lower levels of job turnover and higher levels of job satisfaction. Businesses will find it easier to recruit employees. Gender equality does not only benefit women, it benefits the economy, businesses, men, and children as well.

As you work toward equality you must remember that equality is a level playing field. It is very easy to be so determined to create equality that you tip the scale and reverse the inequality. I encourage you to be diligent, work towards equality reexamining the world as frequently as you do. 

This is the most important thing which I hope you understand from this letter, inequality will always exist when you are not mindful of it. If ever you are so fortunate as to create a truly equal society, you must still reexamine your world frequently. Inequality is often quiet, it will weave its way back into your society if you are not mindful of it. Are you mindful of it? 

Sincerely,

INJUSTICE

Dear Reader,

By this time you likely feel familiar with me. My letters have been honest but caring, you have come to expect my criticisms of your actions, or lack thereof. I hope that you are beginning to examine your lives, even beyond the issues I have discussed with you. I trust that you have, at the very least, begun to examine the world from viewpoints you had never before considered. The more I have examined your world, the more I see a pattern in your lives. 

The sudden surge of new stigmas is not as new as it may seem. Throughout your culture there is a pattern of creating stigmas in times of trouble. You utilize stigmas to shy away from things that make you uncomfortable. The current climate of your modern world makes this easier than ever before. Stigmas are created with a few strokes of a keyboard, followed by memes, comments, and tiktoks. This is not another symptom of worldwide pandemic, but rather a symptom of your own egocentrism. You are unable to see past your own viewpoints unless someone points out another point of view. Even then you often shrug things off and continue seeing things your own way, it’s easier that way. 

You fail to realize how harmful this is, not only to the people who become victims of stigmatization, but also to your society. You live in a world divided, a direct result of your refusal to view the world from a lens other than your own. You choose this world over a harmonious one on a daily basis. Perhaps the best example of this daily stigmatization is your behavior towards homeless populations. 

You have created a stigma regarding homeless populations. Without even knowing their names you have convinced yourselves you know their stories. You never consider that the homeless man on the corner of the street could be anything other than an alcoholic or a drug addict. You turn a blind eye to each person you see, justifying your indifference through your confidence that any help you could offer would just enable that person to continue drinking or doing drugs. 

I encourage you to look deeper, ask someone their story. Offer to buy them a meal, sit and really listen to what they have to say. Perhaps you would learn that less than half of the homeless population in America suffer from alcoholism or addiction. You assume homeless people are not working and that they have no education. However, this is not true. More than half of the homeless population are in and out of full-time and part-time jobs. Struggling to maintain work as a result of inaccessible transportation rather than irresponsibility or addiction. 

Homelessness is rarely the result of one bad choice, but rather a series of events. There is a man whose story is an example of this. This man was months away from obtaining his doctorate when his rent was unexpectedly raised. Unable to pay he found himself living in his car. He then lost his car due to obtaining a parking ticket and fines which he was also unable to pay. Two years later, this man has been on the verge of eradicating his homelessness, yet small things such as having no mailing address have caused him to remain homeless. Your stigmas prevent you from seeing the wonderful people living in your cities. You cannot see their humanity through your stigmatized lens, rather you see their mistakes which, in reality, may not even exist. 

These people have the potential to be assets in your community. They are smart, compassionate and kind, yet they live in the shadows. While I do not expect any of you to give away everything you own in order to help homeless populations, there are many ways you can get involved. Offer to buy someone a meal, get to know their stories, show them compassion and understanding. Buy someone the blanket they need to stay warm in the winter, or a clean shirt in the summer. Take them in your local grocery store and purchase food or hygiene products for them. Show kindness, they have experienced enough of the bad in the world. 

Sincerely,

INJUSTICE

Dear Reader,

For all of human existence I have witnessed your struggle for justice. You have fought amongst yourselves for centuries, striving for different visions of what justice is. You become headstrong, disregarding your desire for justice in exchange for a desire to have the loudest opinion. You go through your lives fighting for your views to be validated and praised, yet in doing so you often contradict your own beliefs. You harass and belittle one another for having differences, yet you claim to exemplify tolerance and love. You hurt one another, you divide yourselves, you ostracize anyone who does not share your beliefs and for nothing more than your own foolish pride. 

My heart breaks as I look at your world. I hear you discuss your history, you speak of the abuses of certain people groups as if these injustices are not still prevalent today. Abuse is happening right under your noses, yet you stand passively, attributing them to a characteristic of a modern society. An example of the ongoing injustice is conversion therapy. You have taken it upon yourselves to hardwire individuals to believe and live the way you see fit. You make no hesitation when it comes to using drastic forces to ensure those individuals do not leave as individuals but rather mutations of themselves created to represent your beliefs. 

You utilize physical, verbal and mental abuse tactics, shock therapy and aversion therapy to convince people to despise themselves. You strip them of their individuality and mould them into your ideal person, teaching them what to say, believe, eat. You dictate how they should live their lives. You have no remorse when they are broken, you see the bodies of those who could not withstand your tactics and view them as weak for ending their own lives. You do not discriminate based on age, any person that identifies as LGBTQ is welcome to be “fixed” by your program. 

Many of you had no knowledge of this, you sit in shock as you read this letter. You wonder how people claiming to be Christian could do these things. I encourage you to show your disdain for these tactics. Do not let your testimonies be tainted by the stains of injustice. Regardless of your political opinions regarding the LGBTQ community, I implore that you consider the injustice that lives within conversion therapy. I ask that you find ways to take action against conversion therapy practices. 

You may not have the power to abolish all conversion therapy practices, however you can participate in raising awareness, sign petitions and show love to individuals ragardless of your differences. Give humanity and individuality back to those who hold different beliefs and convictions than you. Exemplify the understanding that you can show love to someone of different beliefs without changing your personal opinions. Acceptance is not sacrificing your convictions, but rather understanding that your convictions are not the only ones that matter. 

When you begin to accept one another I will progressively distance myself from you. Injustice will become less frequent and peace will become a commonality. In order to achieve this goal for society you must understand that acceptance is a two way street. If you expect others to accept you regardless of your convictions you must also accept them for theirs. I believe that when you begin practicing this you will learn more about each other’s beliefs, as well as your own. You will gain the ability to view the world through a multi-perspective lens. What a beautiful way to see the world. 

Sincerely,

INJUSTICE

Dear Reader,

Your world, full of suffering people, has become one of ever increasing hostility. In your time of need I have witnessed from afar your ability to join yourselves together in love and support for one another. I have also been in the midst of your ability to become hostile, judgemental and selfish. I have longed to distance myself from you, of this I have spoken on more than one occasion with great sincerity. I am a burden to your society, yet you call my name on every occasion you find possible. As of late it seems you have found an abundance of excuses to call upon me. 

The virus which is raging through your world has created a new kind of selfish hostility within you. Many of you have taken more than you need, adding to the panic already flooding the hearts of your neighbors. You have created a shortage of PPE (personal protection equipment), you intentionally disregard the guidelines put in place to keep you safe. This has caused a stigmatization, criticisms have been passed on those who bear no blame. 

There are countless people across America who are unable to access resources they need. There are Americans who are living with conditions which do not permit them to remain constantly at home, yet they are unable to access the protective equipment they need. I have witnessed the stigmatization cause ridicule of those who do not deserve it. Americans who were already suffering various diseases, now having to put themselves at risk to receive the treatments needed to keep them healthy. How do you show your support to those suffering from a battle much larger than a quarantine? You mock and ridicule them for the measures they take to protect themselves. You laugh at their masks, you belittle them with your mocking words. 

The blame does not lie solely on one group of people. Those who have panicked and gone to unnecessary extremes which have caused the stigma, you share the blame. Those who actively humiliate others, you share the blame. Those who are publically validating the stigma, you share the blame. Many of you may not be aware that this is nothing more than a stigma. There are many cases in your society where invalid stigmas are woven into your culture, unnoticed and unresolved. These stigmas are harmful and divisive, especially in unprecedented times such as these. The way you treat people matters, it directly correlates with the state of your society. 

People are suffering from illness, do not subject them to suffering from your words as well. If you witness someone becoming a victim of this discrimination, I urge you to step up. I encourage you to think about what you share with the public, your influence on social media can help or harm the current situation. Show love during these times, the world is desperately awaiting your love. Obey the guidelines set before you, if not for your own sake, for the sake of those who do not have the privilege of staying home. 

I am ever present around you, but I hope to be gone soon. You must choose to turn your backs on me, I await the day I find myself unwanted by you. You have held me captive in your world for far too long now, my time is long since expired. 

Sincerely,

INJUSTICE

Dear Reader,

You are currently in the midst of a pandemic. In many ways it has brought out the best in you, I have seen neighbors offering help and support, workers receiving the commendation they deserve, the earth you inhabit is cleaner. Yet I do not witness all these wonderful acts from afar, but rather from their very midst. You have dragged me into a suffering world, a place I have no desire to be. Living in the midst of it all I have seen you hurt each other, you have taken more than you need from stores, you have disobeyed your leaders and endangered those around you, some have even intentionally contaminated produce with the desire of making others sick.

What hurts me the most, however, is watching you assualt and murder innocent people because you fear they brought the diesease to this country. I have watched you murder innocent Asian-Americans and their children for the sake of your own selfish paranoia. Need I remind you that this is their country too? Need I tell you that they are terrified as well during these times? They are, perhaps, more terrified than you could imagine, fearing the vicious behaviors of the foolish conspiracists around them.

To steal the lives of others through murder or fear is cruel, you may believe you are protecting yourself but I assure you there is no protection in hate. Many of you will read this and assure yourselves you play no part in this, I am here to tell you the truth of the situation. Your role is a large one. You have the potential to be a source of hope for these people, if you so choose. I have confidence that some of you will choose this path, however I know that many of you will not.

Many of you will choose to sit idly, silently watching as these innocent people are ridiculed, beaten and hated. You will turn your backs and convince yourselves that it is not your place to stand up against this injustice. I am here to plead that you stand up for what is right. When you have the means, act. When you do not have the means, support. If you do not have the means to stand up against injustice, support the victims of injustice. Be the hope for the oppressed, show them that they are seen and valued in our society.

Hate is a dark pit, be a light to those who have been thrown into its depth. Inaction enables injustice, you must realize that when you refuse to act I am prevalent. I have asked you to put me to rest, yet I am writing to you once more to plead for my right to fade into history. I implore that you begin to hold yourselves accountable for the role you play in my living. There will never be a better time to act, so why not start now? Your actions can dismantle the hold hate has on the world or they can enable it.

Each of you has the desire to live in a better society and each of you has the power to improve our society. Take action, for yourselves, for your neighbors, your children and for the sake of future generations. The world you leave behind is the world they inherit, make it as wonderful as you can. I do not expect one person to change the world, but if each person eliminates hate in their own heart would the world not overflow with goodness? Be the change, take action and show love. 

Sincerely,

INJUSTICE.

“Dear reader”, you will find these words at the top of every post on this blog. This blog, filled with letters I have written in the hopes that I can make you see the truth about our world and my place in it. I chose to write this blog, formatted as letters, because of the impact letters have had on our country’s history. 

Letters like the ones written by Silence Dogood, Martin Luther King Junior and Abraham Lincoln. Though I do not claim half the intellect or prose these great figures had, I readily claim similar urgency in my message. It is crucial for you to understand, I do not write these letters to cause further divisions. Rather I write these letters to you in the hope that you will seek justice and unity. I do not urge you to steal the just rights of one man in order to give another man the rights he demands. These are the solutions of fools.

I urge you to seek justice for all. If you agree with someone, fight for justice. If you disagree with someone, fight for justice. Personal opinion has no place in the conversation of justice. If it is morally sound, if it gives equal rights, if it offers no harm or segregation, let it be done for the sake of justice. I write to you, desperate for your mercy. I am old and tired, I am ready to rest peacefully, knowing you have learned from the history which I helped shape. You have provided my life-support all these years, you have kept me alive but now I beg of you, let me breathe my last breath.

Throughout this blog, which I earnestly hope is my last work, I will tell of my history and my present existence. I will tell stories of the lives I have impacted, every story is true and haunts my mind constantly. I hope that you remember me, dear reader, though I do not ask you to remember me fondly. I ask that you tell your children about me, ensure that they do not try to summon me from my peaceful grave. I hope that, by the time you read the final letter, you will understand why I am asking these things of you. 

Sincerely,

INJUSTICE