I just finished the book “Prince of Darkness,” about Jeremiah G. Hamilton, America’s first black millionaire. In the early 1800s he made a great deal of money scamming insurance companies—especially maritime insurance companies.

The racket was simple during those early days of maritime insurance. Insure the cargo for more than its worth, then sink the ship. Or, unload the cargo first, then sink the ship, then claim the cargo was lost.

He wasn’t the only one scamming insurance companies. Slave traders would overfill their boats beyond capacity, then trim their inventory strategically as they crossed the ocean. Maritime insurance refused to reimburse traders for slaves who died aboard the ship, claiming shippers responsible for such loss due to negligence. But if slaves were lost at sea, say if they were thrown overboard during a storm, traders would get full compensation.

What traders would do, then, is over-fill their boats, take the worst ten percent of their cargo—those slaves they’d have the hardest time selling—then throw them shackled into the sea. This grizzly act maximized their profits on what they considered low-quality product.

Some people believe humanity inherently wicked, totally depraved. I understand the appeal of such philosophies. People can be so cruel. We’re not good to each other, by default, it seems. Opportunity and greed, fear and self-centeredness: our sensitivities get hijacked and we treat one another no better loathsome trash. We objectify one another and, in the process, turn own hearts to stone.

But there is another force at work in our hearts, too. There is a force that lobbies for a different way of seeing one another. There is a force that softens our hearts and keeps our minds sensitive to the inherent value of every person. There is a force that keeps us limber against the powers that seek to harden us.

In the end, good will win.
Evil is simply unsustainable.

We’re a long way from that, but, perhaps, we’ve made some forward progress, too.

I’ve seen some great Juneteenth thoughts today.
These are mine.

Let’s be good to one another and not let selfish opportunities dupe us into hostility, violence, or disunity.