So...what are YOU screaming about?

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

There are some who would say Facebooking isn’t real activism… I would disagree... and for the following reason… Sometimes, just a simple, authentic conversation, can make a huge difference… a conversation where we aren’t afraid to find out why the “other” is so upset… why they’re screaming…

I’ve been screaming since the election results… and I’m not the only one… Protesters are screaming… Anti-protesters are screaming… Many, many people are screaming… I say “Awesome!... Let’s get it out!”... Most likely, all of us have plenty of anger, frustration, grief, disappointment and resentment stored up… and not from just this election… This election is the catalyst for the release… and maybe we need to take advantage of it… Maybe we need to scream… and scream… and scream… if only to get to the place… where we can finally ask each other… “Hey... what are you screaming about?”…

I had such a conversation this morning… and it began with just asking a simple question… do you believe in freedom and equality for all people?... I mean, wasn’t that what the Declaration of Independence was really about?... Isn’t that why we revere it?... For me, this is the foundation… and without this foundation… the other conversations about government spending and programs, for example… are going to be rough going… Perhaps it’s helpful for you to know that about me… I’m certainly willing to have conversations about programs and spending… I would welcome them… However, freedom and equality come first… If we can’t simultaneously work toward these ideals… we probably aren’t going to get very far.  In my perspective… if freedom and equality truly were the law of the land… many of these government programs people scream about wouldn’t even be needed… But the truth is… we’re still working on the freedom and equality thing…

So… some people are screaming about freedom and equality… some are screaming about God and religion… some are screaming about government programs... trade agreements…  immigration… the second amendment… free speech… etc… etc… etc… And what I’m finding is… there is no clear-cut dividing line when it comes to these issues… You can’t lump those protesting for freedom and equality into opponents of the second amendment… You can’t lump those protesting for freedom and equality into some anti-God movement… and vice-versa… We all have core issues… but that doesn’t mean we don’t agree on other issues… This is where political parties, or the lumping of separate issues together, become dangerous… What we’re going through as a nation isn’t that simple… it cannot be solved by a political party… This is an issue by issue process… a sorting out… and perhaps the only way to wade through it successfully is via conversation… And, real conversations – where each participant listens as well as shares - take courage, don’t they…

I have a sense… that if we could do this… we might just find out… that as far as a majority goes… we aren’t as polarized as we might think… and that perhaps our unified focus could actually be very useful elsewhere… other than on each other… So… perhaps one form of activism begins with a conversation… one conversation at a time… where we each muster the courage to ask another… “So… what are you screaming about?”

Here’s to empowering our voices… as well as our ears… J

Much love,

Karrie 

PS This doesn't mean I won't be tenaciously defending my border... and I expect nothing less from each of you.