It's been a long time since I dusted off my blog and wrote anything. Life has been busy and I have not made the time for writing that I should. However, I have some thoughts about recent events, and as usually happens, I best express them when I write. So here we go.
Right now, there are a lot of people who want us to come together as a country, to unite and move forward. Well, the problem for me is, I do not want to unite behind this man's ideals, his beliefs, or his plans. Some of the things he has said are truly disturbing, and at times absolutely horrifying. The things that people say in his name, that he has not or will not directly disavow, are even worse. I believe that to be united we must all be valued equally. That my white skin should grant me privilege or opportunity beyond what someone else has disgusts me. It infuriates me. As it should for all of us. And yet, and yet...
So if it is not possible to unify behind this man, if we cannot and will not tolerate or stomach the racism, sexism, Islamophobia, homophobia, etc. from some of his supporters, then what hope is there? Well, there's this.
For every act of hatred, of intolerance, of bigotry, of discrimination, of violence toward "the other" there must be a greater act of love. For those of us who will not and cannot unite behind the vision that has been cast for our country, we must unite in love, remembering of course that love is an action word. It has no meaning as a platitude or a feeling, it must be acted upon if it is to be of any use. We must reach out into our communities in love, with tangible, real acts of sacrifice, of faith, of hope. If it becomes necessary we must become the shields and the voices for those most likely to be hurt by this administration. Side by side we can form a wall of love that stretches not just around our own country, but around the world, to reject this blatant evil.
Maybe some (if anyone still reads this thing) will be offended by my use of the word "evil" here, but this is evil. Evil that divides us, evil that separates us, evil that will destroy us if it can. And the only way to beat that back, to stop it, is to meet it with overwhelming love. To refuse the vision of fear and hate and self-interest and to reach out with radical love, compassion, empathy, and hope.
I know so many of us (me included) are terrified of what the future holds. It is scary and a little fear is healthy if it propels us to action. But too much leads to the kind of hatred and anger and intolerance that we abhor. So we must be careful that in our fear we do not become what we are fearful of.
In the immediate future, I recommend that we all refuse to engage with the online ugliness. The internet and social media can be a great tool for community, but it can also serve to spread hate and fear. If you find yourself in a conversation online, or even in person, that is unproductive, hateful, and damaging, walk away. Even if it is someone you love, walk away. End it. Refuse to feed that evil. It will do everything it can to draw you in. It will mock you, belittle everything you hold dear, insult you, threaten you, but find the strength to walk away.
For so many of us still reeling, still raw, still hurt, this is hard. How do you reach out with love or compassion toward people with hearts so twisted? We do this through compassion and empathy. We learn to see them as the broken and misguided people they are. We do not have to accept their views to do this. We do not have to tolerate their views or actions to do this. We do not even have to like them to do this. But we must remember to love them. Pray for them.
For anyone reading this who feels directly threatened by the hateful rhetoric flying around, remember this. More of us are with you than are against you. We will stand with you, we will fight for your rights and your lives, and amplify your voices with ours. We will not leave you behind. When you are afraid remember that you are not alone, and you will never be alone in this fight. In the end I believe that love is the light of the world, and no matter how the darkness rages, it cannot put that light out.
