Some people think that talking about racism is like beating a dead horse. For them it's a moot issue already dealt with; it is time to move on.

They couldn't be further from the truth.

Issues pertinent to race have not gone away, as evidenced by the campaign for the U.S. presidency. This year even the venerable NAACP is conducting a rare nationwide survey on race, gender and equality in America.

And in June Canada formally apologized for forcing 150,000 aboriginal children into Christian boarding schools from the 1870s to the 1970s where many claimed they were sexually and physically abused. A $1.9 billion settlement that Canada reached in 2006 with nearly 90,000 school survivors created a truth and reconciliation commission whose work won't conclude until 2011.

Not only is racism a hot topic, it is the asteroid threatening mankind. Why?

Because negative race-related issues are complicated, multilayered. Not everyone is at the same juncture in terms of experiences or grievances. Nor are most willing to risk rejection based on who they are or how they feel.

"There's too much pain surrounding the issue," my elder brother concurred recently when we were discussing race. To be too graphic about racial injustice is to reopen the wounds of some or make others uncomfortable for any number of reasons. Effects could be both physical and psychological, passing from one generation to the next.

Bishop Dale J. Melczek of Gary, Ind., warned against avoiding dealing with race-related concerns in 2003 when he wrote "Created in God's Image: A Pastoral Letter on the Sin of Racism and a Call to Conversion": "Feelings lying just below the surface will come tumultuously pouring forth like lava from a volcano. The destruction which will be wrought will only further exacerbate the racial tensions so often denied yet so obviously still present in our culture and society."

Why talk openly --- and frequently --- about race? Because talking leads to education, and listening to understanding, appreciation, the building of community.

There's another thing we all need to be aware of when issues of race arise: what does --- and does not --- apply to us personally!

For example, if the car in front of yours fails to proceed when the traffic light turns green, and the driver behind you starts blaring his horn, more than likely you'll realize the nudge was not meant for you since you too were stuck, doing all you can.

The same logic applies for those already doing all they can to contribute to racial justice and harmony, yet they continually hear how racist society is. They are doing the best they can, and should stay their course unperturbed.

I also believe one person's aversion for others could cost that person paradise.

Remember the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son? The older brother refused to enter the celebration his father prepared for his lost-but-found brother.

Scripture never tells us if this older brother humbled himself and entered the feast too. He was equally in need of forgiveness but unable to see his own bankruptcy. We are left to conclude, however, that the decision was his, and the father was earnestly encouraging him to make the right choice.

We must do the same for those stuck in a passive hatred of others, lest, at death, they glimpse heaven only to discover that the very ones they spent a lifetime despising are there too, loud and raucous, shouting for joy at the forgiveness of the Father.

Could they enter? Could we have made a difference in their decision?

Carole Norris Greene is a columnist with Catholic News Service.