ichooselove

Sorry. This will be a little long…
I woke this morning to read news about this sad, scary man who is running for president. My wife pointed me toward Dan Rather’s post, #butthatwasnotenough. Then we saw the Saturday Night Live sketches. I’ve followed the news over this entire “campaign season” and am disturbed it’s gotten this far. How many straws does it take? More importantly, how have we, as a nation, gotten here? That has to be answered. If not, how do we heal and move forward?

How did we, as a country, get here? How have we forgotten about decency, respect, and empathy? How have we become so jaded that we have allowed a person to get this far on a platform of fear, hate, and divisiveness? I think these are the questions. How do we heal ourselves, and our country? Certainly, stopping this man from being elected is a step. But he got here by fanning flames of discontent and frustration, which have grown into a raging inferno of blind, ignorant hate. But he has merely fanned flames and stoked a fire that was already there. Our country, which was built on a belief of inclusivity and respect, has become a hotbed of “us vs. them” hatred and anger. THAT needs to be addressed.
I want to be clear about what I’m saying. Yes, I am a Democrat. Yes, I’m a rather liberal Democrat. But I am not admonishing any party, nor am I admonishing any specific group of people. In fact, I am not admonishing anybody. I am asking. I am pleading. I am hoping that we can find a way to remember that we are all in this together, and we need to care for each other, not hate each other. 

I find myself exhausted and depleted by the hatred and anger. Let’s find a way to make this our point of departure from the path we’ve been on. What does your neighbor need? How can you help? Let’s find a way to love our neighbors. Don’t “unfriend” them. Offer an ear and a hand. Consider them. All opinions and positions count. THAT is what this country is based upon. THAT is what we need. Grandma said, “Love thy neighbor.” No more us and them. Please??!?!

#ichooselove