Overcome the Hate with Love

 

I am just going to have to come out of my bubble for a minute.  Get my head out of the sand!  It isn’t as though I don’t know messed up shit happens in this world, I DO KNOW!   I just don’t want to watch it or hear about it anymore.  It can seriously ruin your mental health.  No wonder there is so much depression in this country – we are constantly bombarded with hate, bad news, and angry people.  And I do feel this bad news is always on top of us because of the news outlets and politicians.   Can we overcome the hate and anger encompassing this country?

This past week was the perfect example of why I don’t pay attention.  There were three hate crimes that we are aware of. I stress the words, ‘that we are aware of’ because I have no doubt many others weren’t publicized.  Others that were so small and unnoticed, but happen every day.  They were probably considered insignificant, which is sad because they are all significant.

So what is going on in the world today?  I wish I had the answer to that.

The Mail Bombs

What makes people do this? The psycho with the bombs … I am not saying that it is Donald Trump’s fault, but these crazy people seem to be doing it in his name.  For some reason, this man thought his act was ok.  With his Trump stickers all over his car and his hatred of liberal democrats, he thought to send bombs to their homes?  Somewhere in his mind, he thought Donald would approve.  What would possess him to believe this?  Because of everything he sees or hears?

It doesn’t matter what you say, it is how you act.  The same way our children learn to behave.  They learn from watching how we react and how we navigate stressful situations.  How are we responding?  Saying that you condemn these situations isn’t enough.  It is how you take action. 

If you want real peace in the world, start with children.  

Mahatma Gandhi

Grocery Store Racism

A known white supremacist went up to an elderly black man in a grocery store and shot him point blank in the head.  He then proceeded to go outside and murder a black woman.  What or who would possess somebody to do this? Was he raised in a racist home? 

Before that, he tried to get into a predominantly black First Baptist Church.  Can you imagine?  In this case, the perpetrator also suffered from mental illness.  Two crucial topics that keep repeating themselves: racism and mental illness. 

Why aren’t we living in a country where white supremacy is denounced?  LET ME HEAR THE WORDS and then please, ACT ON IT.  It is common knowledge that we need to talk about mental illness and do something about it in this country.  We all know it, yet it doesn’t seem like anything is happening. WTF!  I AM ANGRY!!

        We are kindred spirits no matter our walk of life or how we worship or what we look like. We take pride in that.  

a Krogers Employee  

Murders In The Synagogue

A hate crime against Jewish people took place in their own house of worship. What made that guy think this was ok?  Was this how he was raised? 

That is why as parents, we need to teach our children well.  I can’t help thinking that he was raised in a home that was anti-semitic. It was ingrained in him as a child, a brainwashing of sorts.  That is what I have to believe, because if that wasn’t the reason, what could it be? 

Let’s call it what it is, an act of terrorism.  If you don’t like that, then maybe you prefer religious persecution or genocide? This happened in a country that is supposed to be free.  Free to practice your religion of choice, which is why people come here, but that isn’t the case anymore.

So remind me again … in what country do we live?  I thought it was THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, but then I hear that perhaps we should have armed guards outside of our houses of worship.  If we had, then maybe innocent people and Holocaust survivors would not get murdered.  Is this what we have been reduced to?  How are we better off?  I AM SO ANGRY!

Who cares about our economic status, if we can’t even go to church peacefully without an armed guard.

The Way I See It

All of these incidents remind me of the extremists, who did heinous things in the name of their leaders and we call them terrorists.  We called Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, the leaders of the terrorists.  What do you call this?  They are doing this in the name of their leader.  This is what happens when you don’t denounce hate groups.  They think they have a license to behave this way.

Three days later the decision was made to no longer fund a domestic terrorism program.  In whose mind does this make sense?  Those were three acts of domestic terrorism performed by homegrown terrorists!  Uttering a few words that you condemn these situations isn’t enough.  It is how you take action.

We need ALL of these assholes that run our country to stop bleeding all their hate with each other on the rest of us.  I BEG YOU IN THE NAME OF GOD, TO STOP!

Overcome the Hate

I know there are a lot of good people out there in the world.  Why can’t we drown out the bad with the good?  I think if we talked more about the good things, the love and positivity out there, it would overcome the sound of the bad people and maybe they will go away.

The reasonable hopeful me says, please can we just be kind to one another. Let’s drown out the hate and stupidity and show the crazy people and leaders how it is done.  Like melting the abominable snowman … maybe we can dissolve the hatred away and overcome with peace and love.   Isn’t that what Martin Luther King used to preach?

Let’s melt the abominable snowmen of hate with love …

Final Thoughts

Paying constant attention to the news is not something I can do because it depresses me.  I have always tried to do the right thing, be accepting, advocate for others, and give back to the world.  I refuse to believe that it was a waste of time. 

There is comfort in knowing that I have raised children to be politically savvy, watching them stand up for their beliefs and give back to society. Meanwhile, I will fight hate in my own way by writing this blog and sending love and positivity into the world.  We all have to fight hate the best way we can.

There I have said it – now I just want to get back in my newsless bubble and watch General Hospital or Grey’s Anatomy.  Mindless entertainment.  I will count on my children to fill me in when the news is important enough.  I will also vehemently pray that in my grandchildren’s lifetime, the wars will end and people will feel safe in their own skin, their own homes, in their own places of worship.  My journey of trying to spread love and a positive message will continue.

Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

Thank you for everyone who has supported my mission, and for those who want to help, please visit my store to help spread my positive message while giving back to a good cause;  Sunday with Sandy For a Cause.

Gentle reminder to get out and vote this Tuesday!!!!

Much Love and Peace to EVERYONE!

Sandy

#enlighten #empower #inspire #educate #BeKind #stopthemadness #spreadlove