We are here again. Heartbroken, incredulous. Perhaps some of us are even desensitized. I sure hope not. It hurts. This place of fear and uncertainty. Yes we need thoughts and prayers. We also need to speak up and speak well.
We cannot name call and dehumanize even those of us who act inhumanely. By dehumanizing and name calling, we lose sight of our goals, our strengths, our needs. Believe me the first thing I thought this morning when hearing about Las Vegas was “What kind of animal does this?” And then I stopped.
It wasn’t an animal lovelies. It was a man. A human being. One of us. And I am not preaching forgiveness at this moment and I am not condoning and I am NOT ok with any of this.
What I am trying to wrap my head around is how we stay on point, how we come together, end divisiveness and find peace. I think we do that, one brave moment at time. I think we do that by setting aside our differences and seeing each other as humans, not liberal or conservative, not pro-Trump or anti-Trump, not pro-gun or anti-gun.
But as people. People who want to live and be happy and be free. We need to stand up and be brave and say what we need to say to each other – with civility. This is SO HARD. Especially in the face of tragedy.
I’ve tried before to put myself out there, become vulnerable, and truly understand what those with different beliefs than I are trying to say. Both times I was yelled at. Both times I felt squashed like a bug. Both times I was insulted.
After both times I said to myself that I would keep my thoughts to myself. I would no longer try to further the conversation about how to move forward and make our world a little better. Both times I said I would do my best in my heart and my own little world.
But I don’t think it’s enough. YES, we need to do our best in our own hearts, with our beloved people, our tribes in our own little worlds. We need to practice faith over fear, we need to love and listen. BUT BUT BUT. We need to keep trying. I need to keep making myself vulnerable and try to learn from those that are different. I want to listen and I want to be heard. Don’t you?
Don’t we all want the same basic things in life? Don’t we all want to feel safe and seen and valued?
Keep talking, keep listening. Keep listening and be brave. Keep choosing to see the light in those around you. And when you cannot see the light, be the light to someone else. Be the light lovelies. Let’s shine on and be brave.
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