Quote

From a book I just finished called "Angel's rest" by Charles Davis.
It's a conversation between an 83 year old black man, and an 11 year old white boy, who somehow became best friends:

"-Easiest thing in the world to do is hate, it don't take no effort at all you see cause you don't have to work to not care about nothing, hating is a lazy feeling, dark feeling. A person never has to look for into his own heart when they hate you see, it's a dangerous feeling too. We all give harbor to it, but it ain't much good in it.
-Is hating always bad?
-I'd have to give a good think on that.
-But it usually is?
-Well what we're speaking of is a sort of general hate, where some people just hate or mistreat a bunch of other folks, folks they don't even know much about to figure if they should hate them or not, that kinda hating don't do nobody no good, just breeds more hating.
See hate is a fire that won't go out in some white folks and some black folks, get a little wind and gasoline on it and you got trouble.
I reckon the worst thing for some folks around here is they never get out of these hills to see how other folks live and what they're like. It's too far for them to travel from where they live inside you see. This mountain and their place on it is the whole world to them, when the town ain't nothing but a dang spill on the map.
Like the folks around here are all faithful praying Christians, now there ain't a thing wrong with that, no sir I pray quit a bit myself, not gonna say who I pray to cause that's my own business.
But so many of them will tell you that theirs is the only true way of knowing our maker. If you don't believe what they believe in and do what they do, then they're out to get against you quick, when the truth is the only reason they believe what they do in the first place it's because that what they were raised on, they don't hear or think another different till they get some age on them, and then they don't wanna listen to none of that because they've been told if a man believes in other than what they already believe, then that man is wrong, they think it's the dang devil talking to him you see. But it ain't child, it's their heart and head they're talking. Some of them will go so far to say that other man is a real bad man for believing in something different, a sinner and not the kind going off to heaven someday like them of course.
Now the truth is, if those same folks were born somewhere else they'd be taught some other religion and they be shaking their fists the same way they do now, but then they'll be saying that other religion is the one true religion, and if you don't believe in it you're wrong.
I'm just trying to show you how these folks I'm speaking about stay thinking the same old things about lots of things like they were taught to think as youngest just like their parents were taught as youngest. It makes them feel safe in it you see, it makes them sleep good nights like they did as children. The world makes some sense to them when they wake and it keeps little money in their pockets and the peace the way they like it. But when you got too many folks in charge of one small place all thinking alike, it ain't a good thing. They so have to go against somebody who don't think or live or look like they do.
Do you think a God up there in the heavens would judge a fellow by what color his skin is child?"

Great book by the way.

Waldorf.