In 2009, I lost a cousin to a double suicide because a Caucasian father refused to accept the reality that his daughter was deeply in love with an African American young man. Both were seniors in high schools with bright futures. It's amazing how my cousin was good enough to be accepted into the Julliard School of arts in New York, but his skin color made him not good enough to be accepted by his girlfriend’s family.
Fast forward to 2020 and interracial relationships are on the rise and so is the racial tension in America. The racial tension from George Floyd's death is forcing families to rethink conversations about race relations. In the past, family talks may have addressed neighbors with different ethnic backgrounds or kids interacting with different cultures in school. Today, family talks must include the role of purpose in race relations because social media has increased the opportunity to connect with people from around the world.
The ability to share content in real-time is shaping the attitudes and behaviors of a new generation who is fed up with not being able to manage the purpose of their global community. They are embracing the reality of not only representing their immediate family, but they see themselves as a representatives of a community with different backgrounds, skin color, socioeconomic status, etc.
Social media is fueling the fires of the information era and created new opportunities to connect with people of all races. Race relations is no longer confined to geographical proximity like the family down the street, friend at school, or co-worker. The age of global citizenship is a reality and parental guidance must include cracking the code of purpose to manage new experiences from interacting with other races.
Parental Guidance
The future of parental guidance is changing. Unfortunately, the risk remains high for parents not providing guidance in drawing from the deep wells of purpose to improve race relations. Many parents remain in a time warp because of the growing threat of Purpose Deficit Disorders™ (PDD), which is a bigger threat to the institution of family than interracial relationships.
PDD is the catalyst for widening the gap between parent and child, especially in race relations. Social media provides an outlet for kids to feed their Appetite for Purpose™, but parents are trying their best to force kids into their Institutionalized Purpose™.
An Institutionalized Purpose™ is when the people in an institution can only grow at the rate of the institution. If the institution is lean in resources for exploring the genius of purpose, the people in the institution will also be lean in drawing from the deep wells of purpose.
For years, parents have been stuck in an institution where growing in purpose was not the subject of conversation. As a result, PDD is wreaking havoc in parental guidance. It is causing parents to delay new experiences in race relations. Parents are expecting children to grow in purpose at the rate of their personal growth without respecting the reality that their children are hard wired for purpose.
Today's youth are not waiting on parental consent to feed their Appetite for Purpose™. They are following their instincts to use the genius of purpose to build better race relations.
In the past, kids relied on parents to feed the Appetite for Purpose™ in race relations. However, in the age of social media, kids are using online content to connect the dots to make sense out of race relations. They are drawing from the deep wells of purpose to build value beyond skin color, and parental guidance must follow suit or hold back the progress in race relations.
The Future of Race Relations & Family
Parents can no longer remain lean in exploring the genius of purpose in race relations. They must raise their Purpose IQ™ to not only eliminate personal biases and become leaders in helping their kids feed the Appetite for Purpose™ to connect the dots in their world.
Black Lives Matter protests are forcing parents to make tough decisions about the future of race relations. Parents can choose to fight against the Appetite for Purpose™ in race relations, or they can embrace the reality that they need Purpose Development Coaching™ to be a a part of the future for both the institution of family and race relations. When purpose becomes the genius for strengthening family bonds, race will no longer be a threat that weakens the institution of family.
America is undergoing a reset in purpose, but the human soul is infected with PDD. If we are going to preserve the institution of family, Purpose Development Coaching™ must become the resource of choice for communities around the world.
In every conceivable manner, the family is the link to our past, bridge to our future. – Alex Haley, Bestselling Author