CAN WE STOP THE CASTING OF STONES

I'M SORRY, BUT I LOVE WILL SMITH.

I LOVE YOU TOO CHRIS ROCK.

BUT I THINK YOU WERE BOTH AT FAULT.

I have sat through these last few days and watched and listened as one man played the devil and the other the imp. I could have said angel, but neither of these two, one an antagonist, the other a protagonist.(I am unsure which is which) fits that mold right now.

How do I determine who is devil and who is imp. The devil comes to you without qualms, finds you at your most vulnerable, and strikes just at the moment when your mind is ripe for wrongdoing. He yells at you to act, and you react, doing his bidding.

The imp sits on your shoulder, she has a dual purpose, hopping from the right to the left shoulder, taunting you with right or wrong, whispering, confusing and driving you mad until you choose to do right or wrong, good or bad.

I see two men, one a gentle, mild mannered entertainer whom we have come to love for his many portrayals of humor and earnestness in his many roles over the years. We have watched him grow up, face his challenges, become a husband, a father and a friend to many.

The other man, he is a little more enigmatic to me, he too, appears to be mild mannered, earning his success in a similar way, but, I'm sorry, he has not had the same impact on me. Maybe because I am not a big fan of stand up comedy, and I have not followed closely enough to make a proper judgement of his character or life.

Nevertheless, both men have earned their kudos in their own unique way.

For the love of peace, can we take Robert Frost's advice and take the road less unkind.

POEM

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

Robert Frost - 1874-1963

~ ~~~

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

~ ~ ~ ~

A sage advice was given to Will Smith by his mentor Denzel Washington.

"AT YOUR HIGHEST MOMENT, BE CAREFUL. THAT'S WHEN THE DEVIL COMES FOR YOU".

Both men were at their highest moments, Chris Rock was in a hosting role at the Oscar's. Will Smith was about to receive an Oscar. Two highly successful BLACK men, at the acme of their careers. Both men perfectly poised to enjoy the fruits of their hard work.

The 'ole' devil knew that that was the perfect moment for him to shine. He sent his imp to dance on the shoulders of both men, and dance she did. She did the dance of her life and both men succumbed to her charms.

Then imps landed on the shoulders of so called friends, of the world. Fickle people, taking sides instead of rationalizing, analyzing and asking why a person should act so out of character. The action itself was inexcusable, but was done in a moment of madness. An action so utterly stupefying that it shocked the world.

In one momentary second of time, a man thought that the world expected him to be a gallant knight, coming to the rescue of his winsome maiden. We do not know the state of his mind in that singular split second that he chose to make a devastating mistake.

Provocation, however well intentioned or not, should be taken as a key factor in a persons defense.

Just for one moment our focus was deflected from the Corona virus and an unholy war. Yet here we are waging another war on ourselves.

A man's career has been tarnished. Negativity has rendered him numb. Again, I say, he acted confusedly out of the character which we have come to expect of him. Do we have the right to deny him his entire life's achievement because we think that we are the be all and know all of a life.

At any point in time, in this paradoxical world, we too may find ourselves in this position. Trouble does not discriminate. Be careful of quick judgement.

Everyone deserves a second chance.

Do not be so quick to condemn.

TO ERR IS HUMAN. TO FORGIVE DIVINE!

N.A.