Tough Times, Angry People

We are living in a time where I would love to see us all unite in compassion and  understanding. For humans to come together and solve humanity’s latest problem in a way that is fair and equal. A solution that allows everyone to move forward, for the better. Right now there are a lot of angry and divided people in the world. We all need to take a big, deep breath. Tensions are growing as individuals are threatened with a loss of livelihood and their basic freedoms. Some of this pain is misguided, as there is no physical enemy to hold accountable. Individuals on both sides of the fence have taken up their batons in arms against whoever they can find. 

I'd love for this giant to come alive and join a war

There is a very saddening lack of compassion for each other, and a lack of empathy for individual sacrifice. Some of you have endured endless lockdowns. Some of you have been unable to visit family. Some have missed out on your children’s childhoods. Some have missed out on funerals, or even a final visit.  I do not believe I would be able to sit happily if I was unable to visit one of my family members for the last time. Some people have even lost a loved one over the supposed cure. What would you do if a loved one passed away from the vaccine? When the company’s legal responsibility has been bartered away in order to expedite delivery schedules? Abdicating responsibility is a depressing recipe for disaster.

Why was your hand in the way of my hammer?

Just as people fought for gay rights, women's rights and other basic freedoms that (in their day) were deemed immoral or illegal, once again individuals find themselves fighting for their beliefs. When you fight for such a strong, core belief,  like when you are fighting against inequality, then you will fight strongly. For these people, a life of segregation is unfolding before their eyes. To be deemed as less-than. To be deemed not worthy. All for making what is promoted as a “free” choice. The reality is that we seem to be headed backward towards a segregated culture once more. It’s easy to be judgmental of others when you are not out of pocket, or your own freedoms are not impacted. It’s easy to poke a stick at a lion when it’s inside a cage. 

Revered as a god in Ancient Egypt, now a domesticated house-cat

The next time you're about to angrily respond on social media or yell at someone in person for an opposing view, stop and think. Stop the name calling and the baseless insults. Stop thoughtlessly word vomiting your viewpoint into the ether. Treat others how you want to be treated. Think about what you are trying to achieve with your discussions and debate. Are you trying to convince the opposing party of your viewpoint? Are you trying to convince yourself? Reflect on what drives or motivates you. What is it about these topics that make you so angry? Some people will be able to understand and interpret large data sets and scientific journals. Some will be swayed by emotional language delivered as part of a great speech. And some people do not want to be swayed at all. They hold strongly to their beliefs till the day they die. And there is nothing wrong with that either. Thankfully, I can still envision a world where we can all share our conflicting ideas over dinner. Where we can discuss how we feel about the world or about each other in free and open discussion. Where we can come together in kinship, as friends and as friendly foe. I wish we could all make choices without pressure, or fear of losing our livelihood. We should all be free to choose what we do to our body, to our minds and to our hearts.  We all need to come together instead of dividing further apart. So talk to someone, about anything. Start a friendly and thoughtful conversation today.