My supervisor

So, as I've said in previous posts, my park ranger job is going well. One of the most interesting and unexpected aspects of it has been the interactions I've had with my supervisor.

On one of my first training shifts, I came to find out I remind him a little of his grandfather: a religious man who enjoys a good pipe-smoke. Just the other day, I discovered we both are really into birds when I impressed him by identifying a Sharp-shinned Hawk on the River Trail.

Very interestingly: although I believe he came from your average mid-Michigan farming family, he knows quite a bit about the homeless and also seems to have a good bit of compassion for them. When they come up in conversation (which is semi-frequently, as we're working in areas of Lansing where the homeless can actually stay without being bothered by others), he usually ends up explaining something about them or defending them.

One thing that really got me thinking was a statement he made just recently. We were driving along the River Trail in the Gator and passed an African-American woman. Both of us waved and smiled (the unspoken rule for greeting everyone when we're working so we don't seem like we're tools), but the woman just looked away. After we passed her, my supervisor said, "And that is why racism will never die." He went on to explain that's pretty much the reaction he gets from most African-Americans while he's at work, and how he wishes it was different.

 I wonder if this guy studied sociology in college.

 As I thought about what he said, it occurred to me that racism seems to have changed since a few thousand years ago (Disclaimer: I haven't studied any of this in depth, so maybe I'm way off base and need to be corrected, but these are the thoughts I had). When I read about racism in the ancient world, it seems like it was less focused on skin colour in particular and more on specific cultures. One example would be the Jews and the Samaritans in Biblical times. They were probably very similar as far as physical appearance goes, but they were totally separate cultures, and hated each other. If racism really was more culturally-based (again, I may be wrong in thinking this), then certain "racisms" would naturally die out, as cultures eventually disintegrate. If racism is based on skin colour, however, what is the end point? When every colour eventually gets mixed into one? haha. Seriously, though, I can see why someone might say it will never die (I think my logic is good, I just don't know if my facts are, so feel free to correct me in the comments).

In the end, however, I am convinced that it will die. I believe God when He says in Scripture that Christ will come again, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and we will receive new bodies. Everything will be refreshed, including our relationships with Him and each other. Then we will see the death of racism, and it will be another reason to worship God.

Peace.

 P.S.: I would LOVE to know who keeps searching for my blog in a Russian search engine (yes, I know you're there)...if you could just leave a comment and let me know, I'm very curious. I don't even have to publish the comment if you don't want me to...I just would really like to know!