We are better

Someone told me the other day that I needed to write my blog more often.

Deep down I already knew that. I want to write. It keeps me sane. It makes me happy. It gives me oxygen.

But honestly, I haven't been able to write a blog entry lately.

Why? I'm angry.

I'm honestly too angry and too fed up with this world right now to even know what to say. I guess I could try to write something whimsical, but I'm not feeling it.

I could write how I'm feeling about one of the 10,572 issues going on right now that everyone is arguing about, but I don't feel strong enough for the backlash, and what could possibly turn into extreme hatefulness if you have been reading any of the comments on any news article that happens to come your way.

Everyone seems so full of hate, an 'us vs. them' mentality. Everyone seems so willing to spew venom, yet everyone seems raw.

Everyone is looking at each other with guarded, tender, angry hearts.

Tonight is the debate, Lord help us.

I am predicting that everyone will watch, with their red or blue tinted glasses, only seeing the flaws of the candidate they don't support. Then it will be taken to social media where there is no respectful debating. It is raw, angry, insulting, in-your-face, fighting.

The kind of fighting where everyone wants to either punch the wall or throw up their hands and walk away.

I have had enough. Simply enough.

I have seen people tear each other down, friends who are friends with each other no more, and enough hatefulness on social media to almost literally make me scream.

I have opinions about this election. Very strong opinions. And I could give a million and one reasons why I think one of the candidates is the lesser of the two evils of the choices we have been given. But this blog post isn't about that. 

I am saddened by our political choices, saddened by all that is going on in our nation, but mostly by people's reactions of what's happening in our nation and the way everyone is tearing each other down.

I don't mean we shouldn't have opinions. We absolutely should. Perhaps now more than ever. But convictions can be supported in two ways, with a hateful, insulting, devisive rant, or with a calm, steady and loving sharing of truth.

Here is a thought. What if every single person, or even half of the people, would show nothing but love to each other- a smile, a hug, a short conversation, a "we clearly disagree but that's okay, and I really love your new haircut, it really brings out your eyes."

Maybe it's really that simple.

There are people who are struggling with severe mental illnesses, taking care of special needs children, people wondering where they will get their next meal, or taking care of aging parents, physically and emotionally exhausted.

And meanwhile, people are spewing hate at each other like wild animals.

Let's just stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.

Now.

We are better than this. 

I will be starting with the person I see in the mirror.