The events of the last few weeks and twenty-twenty in particular have made me much less forgiving of other people’s selfish behavior. I’m starting to feel like I don’t want to be around “those people.”
Who are “those people?” People who don’t believe the pandemic is real; people who support Trump to the point that they tried to over throw the United States Government, people who harass store clerks for trying to keep everyone safe; people who plotted to kidnap Michigan’s governor and Nancy Pelosi; people who think that caring for others is un-American; even those who went after VP Pence and I don’t think I have ever supported anything Pence has done or wanted to do to this country.
I never used to be like this. I used to be open to alternative opinions, differing perspectives, even religious people as long as they didn’t try to force their beliefs on me. I tried to find common interests that would help make a connection between climate change deniers, fundamentalists of all religious beliefs, Republicans, and me.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a bit fan of the Democrats either but if your choice is dealing with a bunch of right wing fanatics who believe that only corporations have the right to freedom and my body should be controlled by a bunch of old white men, or people who at least acknowledge me as a human being with rights and freedoms, I’ll support the latter every time.
I don’t want to be this way. I want to be open to individuals of all perspectives, but the last four years has made that very hard.
We are in the midst of a power struggle between those who want “power over” others and those who want “power to uplift” others and this beautiful planet we call home. I don’t believe in absolute good or evil, I’ll leave that to religious believers. What I do believe is that “power over” corrupts. I believe people who have held power in this country don’t want to share with anyone else. These people who have power in spades have created a mess of a country and a planet and isn’t it time we listened to other voices to help us create the kind of change we need to uplift everyone?
I have long believed in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and have tried my best to live up to his ideals. Dr. King writes,
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. … I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends.
I fear that I have lost my ability to love and that my purity of heart is damaged. I hope I will heal and can contribute to the type of change for which Dr. King advocated. His legacy deserves nothing less.
