then they came for me.

First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
–Martin Niemöller, 1892-1984

In the same way people stood in silence as so many Jews died, as blacks were denied basic, human rights, and as women all over the world were/are neglected of freedom . . . here we are, still sitting and ignoring what’s hard to swallow. It’s easier to distract.

I know I’m not the first to ask. I stand in a long, long line of people that have asked way before me and will continue to do so. But today, I bother myself.