Not This Time, Not Again

WatchGuard Employees,

One more life lost senselessly at the hands of someone whose job it is to protect the community. The murder of George Floyd is not an isolated incident, but another example of racial and social injustice that is pervasive in our world. Prior to this event, it felt that too many of us had become immune to such incidents. We saw them. We talked about them. We felt helpless and angry, and we moved on. But not this time. People across the US, and globally, are marching, protesting, and making their voices heard that centuries of injustice must stop now. 

It is okay to feel a flood of emotions – surely I do right now. Chief among them are sadness, anger, and frustration at the thought of one more life being lost for nothing. What helps get me through this is a great network of colleagues and friends who are my resources to talk through my feelings. I am here to be the same for you, as are the leadership team at WatchGuard. Today, I’d like to address two points, in what I hope will be an ongoing discussion: characterizing this issue, and our reaction to it. 

First, I feel strongly about acknowledging that we are dealing with deeply rooted and visceral racism. To counteract this – as a society and as individuals – we must build empathy for those people and cultures we don’t know, and understand our biases. While you will never know what it means to walk in someone else’s shoes, you can certainly strive to have empathy. But understanding and sharing their path through life is extremely difficult. Racism happens when we act on our biases due to lack of that understanding; so, we have to actively overcome our biases, which is hard work. You have to constantly educate yourself – read history, talk to people of other races with a singular focus of understanding life’s realities from their perspective. This education helps us remove biases and build empathy. I plan to double down on that learning in the coming months. 

The second issue is the reaction, and our reaction to the reaction. Throughout history, no major shift in discrimination or equality has come easily. So, if you were as disturbed as I was by seeing a black man lose his life as George Floyd did, you have to ask yourself, what sacrifice are you willing to make for a world where that doesn’t happen anymore? I am choosing not to focus on the rioters and looters. Those incidents have a very short life span, but the protests happening globally are working towards the impactful and permanent change that our world needs. Therefore, I will maintain my focus on the core issue, and not on the distractions that will ultimately pass.  

That is where I’m starting, but where will you begin? In my opinion, it’s important to start with being open and honest about your feelings, and being able to share them with each other. Be available to truly listen to each other. Also, if you are able to make a direct impact, by all means, do so. If you are able to contribute to a cause helping to end racism, go do that. As you process these events, know that the whole management team at WatchGuard, and your leadership in general, are here to support you. Use us to talk about your opinions, and if you have ideas for what we can do to help, please let us know.

Prakash