"I would rather make mistakes in kindness and compassion than
work miracles in unkindness and hardness"
- Mother Teresa
Hello! How are you? How was your summer? Mine was good, thanks. Yes, I know I had a brief blogging sabbatical, but I'm back! Those two blog posts this summer SLAYED me, y'all.
Tonight's post is provided to you by one of the hottest topics around... POLITICS. Oh, yeah... I'm going there. Now, before you get your panties in a wad, or your pits start sweating for fear of what ruckus I'm about to start (I'm looking at you, Mom & Dad.), take a deep breath. It's not what you think! I promise.
If you are reading this post, chances are good that you know me in some way. (I am of no illusions that my two previous writings have drawn the masses in.) And since you know me, I think it would be fair to assume that you know where I stand politically. (That would be leaning a little left, for anyone new to the party. :)) I was team Obama twice, and I'm not ashamed of it. In fact, I brag to anyone who will listen that I shook the man's hand. (I may or may not have knocked a young boy down in order to do so. My bad!) That's right guys. I just outed myself as a (moderate) liberal.
Wait! Don't get mad. Don't be scared. Don't stop reading. I promise I have some good points, and it has NOTHING to do with Obamacare, the Debt Ceiling, or Nancy Pelosi.
Here's the thing, friends. Over the past couple of years, I have read A LOT of posts on all political sides that get me all sorts of worked up. People making blanket statements about liberals, conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, Tea Partiers... The whole kit and caboodle. Some make me laugh, some make me mad, some actually hurt my feelings. It seems to be worse now more than ever, as not a day goes by where I don't see one side bashing the other. Facebook has become the place to say whatever we want, however we want, with very little consideration to those we might be hurting. What in the world are we doing to each other? We are literally lashing out at the very people we are calling "friends".
I am thankful that we live in a country where we are free to speak our minds. But sometimes, speaking freely gets quite ugly. And just because we CAN say it doesn't mean we SHOULD. Trust me, I am queen of saying things when I should keep my mouth shut. I can be pretty mean, and I'm not proud of it. How about you?
Here is a challenge for all of us; Let's stop assuming people who lean left are without brains, and those who lean right are without hearts. Some of the smartest people I know vote with the Democratic party, and some of the most generous people I know are conservatives. It is wrong what we are doing to each other, and it needs to stop. NOW.
Currently, we are witnessing the ridiculousness of our government over this shutdown. These jerks that WE put into office are acting like babies and cannot get their shit together. I'm mad at them. ALL OF THEM. They are being little punks, and all need a serious kick in the ass. (See how mean I can be?) However, instead of taking responsibility, they are pitting us against each other... Again. Do you see it? The blame game goes on and on and on and ON; and here we are, playing into their hands.
What if we did something different for a while? What if we spoke with kindness? What if, for one week, we thought about who we might hurt before we posted something on Facebook? What if we refrained from bashing someone else's political view, and instead sat down and really heard what they had to say? Maybe we could learn something. Maybe our view would change a bit... Or is that too scary to think about?
Please know that as I am writing, I am basically challenging myself. If you would like to hop on the journey, I'd be happy to have you! If not, that's okay too. (See? That's me being nice and not calling you an a-hole for not doing what I want you to do. :)) I know this seems completely idealistic and out there, but it's worth a try. Being kind isn't a new movement, but I could always use the reminder. Thanks for listening, friends. I'm off to bed... I have a feeling this being kind thing is going to wear me OUT.
xo
