Healing the racial divide

Police shootings. Border protests. White nationalist rallies. There’s no denying that we live in a time of racial divide that only seems to be growing. And while it’s easy to direct our focus to these great chasms that separate us, this is when it becomes even more imperative to start focusing on what unites us.

In this episode of the Tony Robbins Podcast, Tony is sitting down with Pastor Miles McPherson of the Rock Church in San Diego. Pastor Miles brings a refreshingly different perspective to the discussion around race and race relations, asking the tough questions about how we ended up in this state of tension and turmoil, and what we can do on a psychological and practical level so that we can start healing the racial divide.

Who is Miles McPherson?

Pastor Miles McPherson leads tens of thousands of diverse individuals every month with the Rock Church of San Diego – a diverse congregation he calls “the United Nations.” He’s also a former NFL football player, a motivational speaker and author of The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation.

Miles grew up in a time of racial turmoil and injustice, and he credits sports for helping people from all walks of life come together because “you have a common goal.” He was drafted to the Los Angeles Rams in 1982 and then played for the San Diego Chargers for four years, but his success led to a life of excess. He was “living wild” until a few people on a plane shared the gospel with him. He immediately quit his addictions, became a youth pastor and eventually started the Rock Church, one of the most diverse churches in the area.

The third option

Miles has a unique perspective informed by his experiences growing up as a multi-racial individual who was on “both sides” of the race divide. He has a different way of looking at things: He wants to find what unites us, not what divides us. He believes we all want the same things. We want our children to be safe. We want to provide for our families.

Our current culture teaches us that we have to pick a side. But as Miles writes in his book and talks about in the podcast, there is a third option: to honor what we have in common. To seek out others’ opinions, even if we disagree. To have an open dialogue with a foundation of love, not hate.

In today’s climate, the third option can seem impossible, but all it takes is a conversation.

Asking the tough questions

As Tony often says, to get the right answers, you must ask the right questions. Only when we face our fears and talk honestly about our problems can we all find a way to be part of the solution.