I NEED A BAD ASS SWORD AND A BANNER...STAT
I have been riveted by the news coming out of Orlando this week. I have cried a lot. I do not understand how someone can be so unstable as to kill another human being. Let alone go somewhere with plans in order to kill several. I tried to look away. Many in the middle of it would have loved to look away but they had no choice.
We have all looked away for a long time.
We never look directly at the problem. We scream about gun control, people's rights, sexuality, bathrooms, color, brutality, mental health, religion and politicians. We throw up posts and bible verse's on facebook. We point fingers outwards but, never at ourselves. It's always *you*, *them*, *those people*, *their kind*.....but, never us.
I believe we are the problem.
Let me back that up, I cannot even say we. That softens the blow and makes it sound like a group effort. Takes some responsibility off of my shoulders. This, at the core, has to be personal in order to get changed.
I am the problem. If I can take responsibility in the way the world is, then I have the power to change it. I love me some power....trust me on that.
Do I think we need reforms? Yes, I wholeheartedly do. I also think it is not up to our government to teach us how to use our brains, get off of our asses and be decent.
You see, that is what I think it all comes down to....love and decency. Sounds really simple doesn't it? And yet, I see people throw those two things away as though they were trash. Daily. Neither cost us a dime to use.
It is costing us lives to not use them.
I am tired of talking. I am so tired of talking about problems. I want us to fix them. How is that done? All I know to do is to love out loud. HONEST TO GOODNESS love people out loud. Especially those different from ourselves. We get out of our cocoons and we make a different. We throw those damned pebbles into our part of the pond.
When I thrown my pebble in, it causes ripples. When you throw yours in, it causes ripples.
Eventually, those ripples come together and the pond is not quiet so big any more.
Year ago, I met with a new client. At the first meeting, you go over all of their personal things like age, address, employment etc...etc. So here I am, asking her questions and she is not digging *perky mindy*. She finally tells me that I can take my Pollyanna fake attitude and shove it *up my ass* (lol, direct quote). I explained to her it was no attitude and that was just who I am. Then I asked her for 3 references. She told me that she knew no one and did not have any friends. I shot back *everyone has friends*. She looked at me for a minute and then said *Well, I'll list my dildo because it is my best friend and never gives me any trouble.*. I volleyed back *I'll need it's full name and phone number please.*
I get to meet the neatest people.
It took me years to realize, she really did not have any friends. She was a very lonely woman. She was frightened or turned off by my attitude.
There are a whole lot of lonely people out there. How did that happen? When did it become us against them?
How is it fixed? How am I going to love out loud?
I am going to DO and stop just talking about it.
I am going to write letters to people I love and admire. Even to people I do not know. I am going to tell them their value in my life.
I am going to be kind. That can be calm words or a smile on my face.
I am going to drag you people with me. I am going to try to motivate people to do the same by my actions.
I am going to be present.
I am going to start leaving people better than I found them.
I am going to write a letter to Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and tell him how mortified and displeased his use of Bible verses in tweets are to me. Reap what you sow. REAP WHAT YOU SOW. If you sow a *I am so much better than you because I am such a great Christian and an elected politician* you are going to reap Christians that will tell you that you do not speak for me or for my God. Get off of your high horse and DO something besides hiding behind a bible verse. I have a verse for you. Mark 12:31
"The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Oh wow, did I chase a rabbit?
I am mad. I am hurt. I am lost.
There is no THEY. THERE IS NO THEY. There is US. We are all the same. Our hatred and bickering are going to kill us. We have got to be the change. We have to stop talking and start listening. We must start doing. WE HAVE TO START LIVING THE BIBLE VERSES INSTEAD OF SAYING THEM.
It is a personal DO verse. Directed at ourselves and no one else.
I refuse to be afraid of people who are not like me.
What else can I do? Tell me.....I am all ears. What else can I do?
Won't you be my neighbor?
We have all looked away for a long time.
We never look directly at the problem. We scream about gun control, people's rights, sexuality, bathrooms, color, brutality, mental health, religion and politicians. We throw up posts and bible verse's on facebook. We point fingers outwards but, never at ourselves. It's always *you*, *them*, *those people*, *their kind*.....but, never us.
I believe we are the problem.
Let me back that up, I cannot even say we. That softens the blow and makes it sound like a group effort. Takes some responsibility off of my shoulders. This, at the core, has to be personal in order to get changed.
I am the problem. If I can take responsibility in the way the world is, then I have the power to change it. I love me some power....trust me on that.
Do I think we need reforms? Yes, I wholeheartedly do. I also think it is not up to our government to teach us how to use our brains, get off of our asses and be decent.
You see, that is what I think it all comes down to....love and decency. Sounds really simple doesn't it? And yet, I see people throw those two things away as though they were trash. Daily. Neither cost us a dime to use.
It is costing us lives to not use them.
I am tired of talking. I am so tired of talking about problems. I want us to fix them. How is that done? All I know to do is to love out loud. HONEST TO GOODNESS love people out loud. Especially those different from ourselves. We get out of our cocoons and we make a different. We throw those damned pebbles into our part of the pond.
When I thrown my pebble in, it causes ripples. When you throw yours in, it causes ripples.
Eventually, those ripples come together and the pond is not quiet so big any more.
Year ago, I met with a new client. At the first meeting, you go over all of their personal things like age, address, employment etc...etc. So here I am, asking her questions and she is not digging *perky mindy*. She finally tells me that I can take my Pollyanna fake attitude and shove it *up my ass* (lol, direct quote). I explained to her it was no attitude and that was just who I am. Then I asked her for 3 references. She told me that she knew no one and did not have any friends. I shot back *everyone has friends*. She looked at me for a minute and then said *Well, I'll list my dildo because it is my best friend and never gives me any trouble.*. I volleyed back *I'll need it's full name and phone number please.*
I get to meet the neatest people.
It took me years to realize, she really did not have any friends. She was a very lonely woman. She was frightened or turned off by my attitude.
There are a whole lot of lonely people out there. How did that happen? When did it become us against them?
How is it fixed? How am I going to love out loud?
I am going to DO and stop just talking about it.
I am going to write letters to people I love and admire. Even to people I do not know. I am going to tell them their value in my life.
I am going to be kind. That can be calm words or a smile on my face.
I am going to drag you people with me. I am going to try to motivate people to do the same by my actions.
I am going to be present.
I am going to start leaving people better than I found them.
I am going to write a letter to Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and tell him how mortified and displeased his use of Bible verses in tweets are to me. Reap what you sow. REAP WHAT YOU SOW. If you sow a *I am so much better than you because I am such a great Christian and an elected politician* you are going to reap Christians that will tell you that you do not speak for me or for my God. Get off of your high horse and DO something besides hiding behind a bible verse. I have a verse for you. Mark 12:31
"The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Oh wow, did I chase a rabbit?
I am mad. I am hurt. I am lost.
There is no THEY. THERE IS NO THEY. There is US. We are all the same. Our hatred and bickering are going to kill us. We have got to be the change. We have to stop talking and start listening. We must start doing. WE HAVE TO START LIVING THE BIBLE VERSES INSTEAD OF SAYING THEM.
It is a personal DO verse. Directed at ourselves and no one else.
I refuse to be afraid of people who are not like me.
What else can I do? Tell me.....I am all ears. What else can I do?
Won't you be my neighbor?
When one of us or a faction of us suggests a solution - gun control, mental health care, talking to lone wolf maladjusted people, or, yes, even love your neighbor - the others or factions of us scream louder: That's not it. That won't work. So we do nothing. Except scream. Maybe we should try everything at once, instead of nothing.
ReplyDeleteI love the meme going around about how "thoughts and prayers are nice but let's have gun control and queer rights".
ReplyDeleteYou are so right - we each need to take responsibility for making the world a better place. I'm off to ponder what I need to do. I think I'll start by copying you and sending a letter to the Lt. Governor, too.
I'm gathering my rocks as I type.. The world needs a Do-Over before it's too late. We have become the laughing stock of the world.. not just because of politics but how can anyone take us seriously when we don't even take ourselves seriously? We bicker over the craziest things.. everyone should be entitled to their rights.. if you don't like it, shop or play elsewhere.. that's how it use to be. I am not anti anything.. I will treat you how you treat me.. is that biblical? No, I know I can work on that but if your nice to me, I'm nice to you.
ReplyDeleteI'm so proud of your words and your actions. Through the power of one I can make a difference daily. A smile, a kind word, a compliment can turn around someone's day. I'm always amazed at the idiocy and shame politicos bring on themselves. I have two words for the alt. Governor of Texas. Impeachment and karma. Keep on and hang in there Mindy! I'm with you! And then we are the power of TWO!
ReplyDeleteI will help you wield that bad-ass sword, because I. AM. TIRED. OF. THIS.
ReplyDeleteMe too. At least once a week, I question if my classroom is safe from possible intruders. That's crazy to have to consider! On one hand I teach tolerance and acceptance and on the other I feel I have to teach survival. Enough is enough.
DeleteMy Uncle Barry and I was discussing these issues tonight and we both came to the conclusion that the folks who judge and talk about the difference are going to live one hell of a miserable life. There will always be haters.JUST BE AND DO.143
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ReplyDeleteYou have put into words what I feel but have struggled to say. You can't make laws that make people be good people, and nipping at a branch while ignoring the roots of a problem does little to nothing.
ReplyDelete