Three Thoughts

[H2O Man]

I thought I'd post a few quotes from my late friend Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. The first two are the letters he wrote me from his prison cell, often from solitary confinement. The next are from a chapter of a book that a professor at Binghamton University asked if I could get Rubin to contribute after he introduced my daughters and I to the audience there. At times like today I try to keep them in mind.

“The collective call that others are talking about – violence that will ultimately pit brother against brother, family against family, the young against the old – is not an isolated an incident as you my have presupposed, my friend. Because hate, like racism and color-prejudice, is not inherent, because nothing is inherent, but it must be constantly cultivated in order to be brought into being – for hatred demands existence! And he who hates must show his hatred in appropriate actions and behavior, and to a certain extent, he must become hate himself. And hatred, running amuck, is what you are witnessing in America today.”

“Here in this Western world, and particularly in America, it has always been accepted that a man may possess immense knowledge but withoutever having seriously considered his level of being. In America it is acceptable that a man may be a Supreme Court Justice, a Doctor, a National and International Politician, or an able Scientist – and at the same time it is considered legitimate and even fashionable, that this Supreme Court Justice., or Doctor, or Politician or Scientist has the rightr to be a racist, or a petty, egoistic, caviling, mean, envious, vain and malicious snake! The people of America have placed grew value on the level of a man's knowledge, but have no shame on their own low level of being.”

“Hate can only produce hate. That's why all these wars are going on, all of this insanity. There's too much anger in the U.S. People are too afraid, too numbed out. We need to wipe out all this hatred, fear, distrust, and violence. We need to understand, Forgive, and love.”