An Awakening

 An Awakening or My View of Hopefulness

This morning begins a new day with a new President in the White House. I realize it is an uphill climb; we will not be able to make things right over night nor in the days, weeks, months, and perhaps even years to come. It will take commitment and perseverance to achieve. Even with this persistence it will be difficult to achieve unless we try to understand one another person-by-person, neighborhood-by neighborhood, community by-community.

Then when we listen to and hear what our fellow citizens are saying and feeling there is no guarantee we can agree, but it would behoove us to understand another persons thoughts and feelings. We don’t have to agree; rather what we have, should, need to do is understand and find a way to respect one another.

There are factions in our country who think things I may never understand. I can’t in any good conscience agree with or even believe the ideas of White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, Boogaloo Boys, Incels, and a myriad other “factions” in this country. I don’t think these are healthy ideas. They appear to me, and to many other people, to want to destroy our democracy, to bend others to their will by force not in a democratic way. I don’t know with what they want to replace it... maybe authoritarianism, but that isn’t how this country was founded. In fact it is the exact opposite.

Understand me, this has nothing to do with abortion rights or other legitimate ideas/ideals, beliefs of the people of our country, rather it has to do with power. In my opinion, we need to accept people of various colors, various religions, various sects within religions.  In my opinion, we need to accept people of the opposite gender or of their particular gender persuasion. We need to turn away from racism, turn away from xenophobia, turn away from homophobia... we need to be more accepting if those different from us.

We need to not bully and please don’t tell me so-and-so bullied another so it’s okay to approve bullying, that it’s justified. Bullying is never justifiable! I have been bullied and once bullied a person wants to fight back. I found the best way, not always the easiest way, is to be respectful... yep, it’s hard.

When faced with disrespect it is so easy to get angry. When faced with injustice it is so easy to fight back. The hard road is to find common ground and build from there. There are radicals on the right; there are radicals on the left. There are many more people in the middle, from the middle right to the middle left, who can find civil agreement. I think these are independent thinkers who are not swayed by radical thinking. I am one of those in the middle.

If I didn’t clearly state this earlier, if we want to heal our nation, we need to begin by talking with our friends, our neighbors, our communities. And yes, we need to talk with our families... for me that may be the most difficult discussion of all. Difficult, yes. Scary, very. Minds likely will not be changed, but please, try to offer respect, try to reduce hostility, try to bring down the heat. I fear if we cannot come to an understanding our country will be destroyed. I hope to meet you somewhere in the middle.