Can we rewind ten years and try again?
I don’t remember the world ever being so polarized, so defined, utterly, by their political party affiliation. If a republican says the sky is blue, a democrat will come along and scream loudly “No, it isn’t, it’s azure!!” If a democrat says “We ought to feed the hungry,” a republican response will be, arrogantly, “Get a job.”
I do not now, for the record, align myself with either of the two major political parties, I cannot, in good conscience.
I used to believe republicans stood for small government interference in our lives and low taxes. I believed that democrats always leaned more towards a heavier responsibility on the government to care of its people, to make sure people are fed and have health care. I always kind of thought a democrat’s mindset meant people cared a lot, loved deeply, wanted to help others. In the last several years, any sense of, well, sense, has gone out the window.
I always thought it was just about a person leaning more towards one way of thinking than another, and you’d go into the poll booth and you’d vote your conscience. I remember it being that way, I really do.
I remember as a twenty-something being able to sit over coffee or a meal with someone and talk about things happening in the world, and you’d discuss, and maybe even respectfully debate how you saw things, how you thought things should be, but throughout the whole time, there was a feeling of mutual respect. Our relationships did not rise or fall based on being a republican or a democrat. And at the end of our time together, we hugged and said goodbye and went about our lives.
Man, those were the good old days.
I avoid all talk of politics now, for the most part, because it’s like walking past a barroom brawl and if you open your mouth to voice an opinion, you find yourself pulled into the brawl, no-holds-barred, kicking and screaming fights will commence. Ugliness. Disrespect. When did this happen? Why? When did humanity decide we all had to agree all the time or the other guy is dubbed evil? I don’t like it. Our world has become hyper-confrontational.
Now this thing in Charlottesville happened, and a light has been shined on racism, the KKK, and hateful bigoted speech fills my social media feeds, even more than usual.
And my heart hurts.
I long for a simpler, easier time, perhaps one that never existed, and perhaps, never will. But a gal can dream.
I dream of going back to having respect for one another, of liking or disliking people for who they are, at the very least, not what political party they belong to. I am not, and refuse to be defined by a political affiliation, and if that’s the thing that you identify with the most in a person you meet, I kinda feel sorry for you. What’s going on in our world right now is craziness. I don’t recognize people anymore, they’ve lost their humanity.
Beam me up, Scottie, cuz I’m ready to try life with another species. I’ll come back to earth once people get their wits about them again. Take me to a place of love, acceptance, grace, and mercy. Take me to a land where the people recognize that we are all much more alike than we are different, where people give each other the benefit of the doubt, and all the beings are free and treated equally. Where respect still exists.
Yeah, there probably isn’t such a place, but shouldn’t we have goals? I’ll keep dreaming and hoping for a kinder, gentler humanity. Until then, I may have to limit my reading of social media commentary, for my sanity.
Spread the love, people. Spread the love. (I really don’t travel well and would love to stay here on earth.)