The origin of the word “woke” is in the vernacular speech of African Americans of the 1930s.

It originally meant one was aware and attentive to issues of social injustice, including racism and discrimination. This was prompted by the Jim Crow laws of the south. With the advent of the Black Lives Matter movement (2014-2020), woke also implied a readiness to act.

The term has evolved positively and negatively. In the affirmative, it implies being socially progressive over a whole host of issues. In the negative, the word is used to insult and incite friction and rage against any issue or person who appears to be left leaning and progressive.

But the issue is not new. Being aware was at the heart of the Great Enlightenment (1685-1815) that promoted reason and logic, as opposed to the Great Awakening (First 1730s-1740s, Second 1790s-1840s) that was concerned with tradition and religious dogma. Both incited passions. The view that tended to prevail was reason because through it humanity did progress. The American revolution and the U.S. Constitution are products of the Enlightenment.

The first real test of being awake and embracing the power of observation and reason resides with Galileo (1564-1642), who, among other things, declared that the Earth circled the sun, not the sun circling the earth. This was an observable fact. The Church condemned him as a heretic for that.

Simply put, I prefer being awake. I believe that intolerance and discrimination, being oblivious, and unaware, is too much in the realm of those who eschew rigorous exploration of ideas and issues. Being awake leads us forward. Being unaware leads us backwards and less able to deal well with whatever awaits us in the future.

-Rev. Ronald D. Larson, Mt. Morris