Finally I'm back, but it's for all the wrong reasons. Yes I've been doing plenty of writing, but I haven't posted for awhile only because I haven't come up with anything important enough to share. Well now it's time and this is important. It's important to me, our country, this world, and hopefully to you.
Pray for Orlando
Justice for Alton Sterling
Justice for Philando Castile
Black Lives Matter
and tonight we are left with Pray for Dallas
All of it is filling up your Twitter and Facebook feeds, coming through the radio, and every time you change the channel on your TV you're left staring at breaking news of another tragic event. I'm beyond angry and sad over everything that is unfolding not only across the world but just in our country alone. So it's time to talk about it.
Just days ago we were celebrating in red, white, and blue. Backyard BBQs, cold beer, fireworks, and waving flags around with every ounce of joy in our bodies. Isn't America the best? Land of the free, home of the brave.
I ask you, how the hell can we be living in the greatest country in the world when blood is shed each day in senseless acts of violence and hate? Don't get me wrong, I love America. I know you're probably angrily reading this, hating me with each word. America is the greatest country in the world, how dare she say it isn't?! Well how dare you say that it is? This country needs some work. Wake up. We are far from perfect.
Listen closely, and read less angrily: I am beyond grateful to live the life that I do in this country. I wouldn't trade it for anything, and I understand I have a lot more than most people in this world. But it is time for a change.
After the absolutely awful shooting at the nightclub in Orlando, I was texting with my grandma. She said that this world is different from when she was growing up. She was born in 1947, and was my age in the 60s. She said during her childhood and even most of her adult life, nothing horrific like what happened in Orlando ever occurred. If something similar to it did unfold, it was rare. It was nothing like what we see today.
The power to turn this country around is in our hands. It is up to all of us. Not just Mr. President and our representatives and the other politicians. We are all people. We can all do something. Together. Isn't that an interesting concept? Unity. It's a beautiful thing. If I can recall correctly... I believe we are living in The United States of America. Is that right? It sure doesn't feel like it lately.
I'm not going to get in to gun laws and all that because that's an entirely different post. What I do have to say is this: it is time for love and peace. It is time to stop talking about it, and time to start showing it. Actions speak louder than words and that will always remain true. So instead of saying "oh wow world peace would be nice," go out into the world and love people. Show strangers kindness.
Because bottom line (oh I know you're not supposed to start a sentence with "because." Every one of my english teachers is cringing) but bottom line is we are human beings. It really is that simple. We are all living on this earth together.
Enough of the "well they are gay and I'm straight and homosexuality is a sin and oh they're black but see my skin is white so they need to stick with their kind and maybe if they weren't in a gay nightclub they wouldn't have been shot and that person is a Democrat but I'm a Republican so I don't like them and their opinions are stupid and irrelevant and everyone who isn't just like me is going to hell so let's build a wall because..." Enough is enough. It honestly sickens me that I have heard people speak this way. These words have come out of people's mouths and it repulses me. Instead of building walls, we should be knocking them down. You're an American, they're a Mexican. He's French and she's Brazilian. What does it matter? We all call this world our home.
I could care less who you're attracted to and who you love. Your skin is black, they are pale, and maybe in the summer I have a tan. Who the hell gives a damn?
My hair is brown, straight, and long. People exist with blonde, black, and red hair. Some people don't have any hair at all. Sometimes they dye it purple, green, or blue. It can be curly or wavy or straight. Long or short. Does that mean I should kill everyone who doesn't have long, brown, straight hair like me? No. Never would that even cross my mind. Yet when it comes to the color of someone's skin, suddenly people feel justified in judging others for it. People are judged off of the color of their skin, something they can't help at all. It's beyond ridiculous.
Now we have police killing innocent people for no reason at all. These police were not under attack, struggling for their lives, and forced to fire their weapons. They killed to kill, or for whatever other reason they are saying. It was senseless. A man has just been shot and is bleeding out with his girlfriend and her four year old daughter in the car. The officer is still aiming his gun at the man, who is clearly in no position to harm anyone, blood spreading over his white shirt. As a citizen, my expectations and hopes for an officer would be to help this man until a medical team arrived, instead of standing there and watching him die. Watching the video posted by the victim's girlfriend made me want to crawl under a rock and never come out. But I can't do that. You can't either. We have to take a stand against this. Tonight four officers are dead and many others wounded at the hands of snipers. Plenty of police officers and others in law enforcement are out in the community to protect us, not to kill. Yet these innocent men were shot for no reason. Again, no reason.
We can't be killing innocent people, no matter their skin color, and we can't be killing officers either. I say "we" because we are all a part of this. Sure, not everyone is firing a gun, but you know what they used to tell us in school. If someone is being bullied and you don't do anything about it, you're partly to blame for the bullying. Standing around and doing nothing is almost as bad as doing something bad. So let's do something good.
Of course, I wish I wasn't writing this. I wish that Dallas wasn't trending on Twitter right now. I wish millions of broken hearted family members and friends weren't enduring the pain of the loved ones lost to senseless acts of violence and hate. If I could erase it all, rewind time, and make it all go away I would. I think we all would.
Whoever you are reading this, I hope this isn't the type of world you want to live in. Whether you're 70 years old, or 14, I hope you don't want your children to live in a world like this. I hope that you want better. We should always be looking for ways to better this planet, and spreading kindness is a way to start.
Imagine sitting in a room. You are with 99 other people. Together, you are 100. There are no doors, so no one can leave. You each have a match in your pocket. The room is bright and you can see everyone around you. No one understands why they have a match, because there is already so much light. Suddenly, the room is plunged into darkness. All the light is gone. For several minutes, everyone stands in darkness. Some get sad, or annoyed, and others angry. People are confused. Some stay silent. You all still stand in darkness. Time passes. People are upset that they were put in a room that suddenly turned dark, so they respond with more darkness. Finally, one person lights a match. The room is no longer completely dark. Slowly, more and more people light matches. Some still stand, refusing to contribute to the light, but after awhile, there is finally enough light to see the people around you again. All it took was one person to light their match.
You see, as MLK Jr. said, all that can push out hate is love. Only the light can conquer the darkness. Not everyone on this earth (or in the room) are going to want to create change. They will stand by in their own dark world. But you can light a match, and encourage those near you to do the same. The darkness and this hate can be overpowered. It will be overcome, because I truly believe that eventually the pure goodness in this world will win over any evil. It takes time and work, but it can and will be done. This generation was perhaps given such a difficult time in history because we have the power to work through it and to fix it.
It is easy to feel discouraged when each day the news is filled with another senseless act of violence and hate. But we must let this empower us. We can not back down and I know that we will create a better world for future generations. A lot of work has to be done, and it must start immediately, so let's go. I have to stop writing now and you have to stop reading because it's time to change the world. Until next time, xxx.
