I feel
heart-sick today… I went to bed last night feeling a deep sadness, a sense of
hopelessness… wondering if we as Americans (or even as humans) will ever get it
together. I saw a picture on Facebook of
the President interacting with his dog… Unfortunately, I made the erroneous
choice of looking at the comments from people.
I’ve made the same mistake before.
I’m sure some of you have as well.
The hatred… the blatant racist remarks… the misrepresentation and misuse
of God… is heartbreaking… I have no
other way of describing it. It’s heartbreaking.
I realize
that arguing… debating… attempting to convince… trying to make a point… is many
times fruitless. It doesn’t matter
anymore what someone has to say in conversation with a person of an opposing
viewpoint – no one wants to hear it.
Each person believes they’re right and that they’re in a battle for
their own survival.
We are so
used to a “survival of the fittest” mentality in a world where only “winners”
are respected that we believe we have to “win” some imaginary battle of
philosophies or face extinction ourselves.
We totally miss the boat when it comes to an understanding of freedom… and equality.
The beauty,
uniqueness and divine nature of the essence of America is found in the
understanding that the umbrella of freedom
and equality… is all-inclusive… Everyone is
included… every person… ethnicity… religion… gender… sexual orientation…
language… philosophy…etc …is included beneath this infinite umbrella. And
when we truly understand this… a dominant culture does not exist. All “cultures” are respected and none
dominate. This in truth is the essence
of America.
The
transition from a “survival of the fittest”… “dominate culture rules” mentality…
to one more in alignment with America’s essence includes things like acceptance…
respect… co-existence… acknowledgment… co-creativity… coming from a sense of
the whole… rather than only a part of the whole… sharing to be understood…
listening to understand… as well as a deeper understanding of the ideals the
United States of America was founded upon.
This
transition is not for the weak of heart.
It’s for the courageous… the persevering… the resilient… the determined. It’s not about beating each other up so one
way dominates all others… but instead, finding the way that allows everyone their own unique existence.
I realize
that much of my sadness can be attributed to the constant infighting… the “war”…
the immaturity… the attacks… the revenge… the hatred… the rudeness… and the
disrespect… all that which fuels a never ending cycle of destruction. And I’m sad because I realize how ridiculous it
is to fight over our differences… when we live in a nation founded in freedom.
Much love,
Karrie
