Woke

First question to self:  Are you awake?

Answer:  Obviously.

Second question to self: Are you woke?

Answer: Hmmmmm….. I’ll have to think about that.  

And, so I have.

The word – woke –  gets used, a lot, in matters of racism and social justice.  We’ve heard it repeatedly in the recent reporting of George Floyd’s death and subsequent marches.  Sadly, the repetition risks making it sound trite and perhaps self righteous at this point in time.  

And it would feel even more so, if I chose to define myself as “woke.”  

Given the limitations of my background, I can’t possibly fully appreciate the Black Lives Matter movement.  I would not pretend to do so.  All I can do is try to understand.  That doesn’t make me “woke.”

So, short answer to the second question to self:  No, I am not woke.

But, with hope, I am awakening.