The choice to be woke

I aspire to be more woke.

Originally, being woke meant being aware of your environment, your surroundings. Specifically, if you were Black and in the Jim Crow south. Obey Sundown laws and avoid White Only restaurants, hotels, drinking fountains etc. Then it evolved into how to properly act when confronted by police.

Now, being woke means you are tolerant of LGBTQ folks. That you care that humans are treated with compassion even if they have no legal status in the US. You take to heart what the “I” in DEI stands for, the inclusion of all of people of all backgrounds and abilities. You care for the physical world that was created by God for all of us.

In short, being labeled “woke” means you are accused of being empathetic, compassionate, tolerant and welcoming. Sounds very New Testament. Do the people who want to call me woke realize that is what I really do aspire to?

I am a Christian by choice. And to be considered a Christian, I must try to live according to the words and deeds of Jesus Christ. Most simply put, to treat my fellow humans as I want to be treated. I try to live my life to be woke like Him.

Anth Lechiara

Wheaton