Respect and Love

mindI cannot shake the thought that the world has lost its mind. This keeps rolling through my brain lately for many reasons. Choose an issue or the state of affairs in almost any realm or with regard to any topic. There is insanity. People are on the offensive about just about anything. There is no middle ground anymore. Everyone is a victim of someone or something or nothing at all. The general defensiveness that seems to be pervading the collective masses is stifling and I think that it is going to spell trouble for each one of us regardless of where we stand on any particular view. It seems like we are all walking around ready for a fight. We see this in our government, in our communities and in our country all the time.

Being passionate about something is never a bad thing. The line is crossed when that passion turns into hatred and an unwillingness to listen to those who may see things differently. We all have experiences that shape our views and opinions on any given day. This is what makes us all so diverse and on a good day able to relate to those who do not believe the same things. To me it feels like we are all just running around stirring up shit for shit’s sake. It is the quintessential us versus them taken to the extreme. There is no productivity to any of it.

I was at the grocery store earlier today and had a new cashier ring me out. She made at least four errors while weighing my produce and forgot to ring up something that I had at the bottom of my cart even after I told her it was there. The person behind me was absolutely pissed off that it was taking so long. Seriously. This person was learning something new. How does getting annoyed to the point of unloading the items they had already placed on the belt and moving to another checkout line serve any purpose? This is a prime example of how we are losing our ability to relate to other people with an ounce of patience in something as mundane as a trip to the grocery store. I suspect given the fit this person threw that the store manager was probably going to get a letter of complaint. This is what we do.

I have had many productive debates with those who may disagree with my “lifestyle” choice about a variety of topics. This is sometimes difficult but it is possible. I always keep in mind that they are entitled to their opinion just as I am mine. I understand better than most that people fear what they do not understand. This concept is as old as time itself. My life has played out in a way that I could have never imagined possible.

One of the most amazing qualities of the human spirit is the ability to see things from many sides and to then decide what works for each individual. When some believe that what is right for them is right for everyone else tensions are heightened. We have become a bunch of hostile individuals who are intent on making sure that no one is impinging on our freedom. When we stop looking for reasons to fight with each other and realize that we are all free to live our lives as we choose then maybe things will improve.

My wish is that we will begin to appreciate and respect others views, even when they differ from their own. I have learned more from those who I do not understand than those who agree or see things the same way I do, even if it is just the fact that is it better to be kind than right. I am just like you in that I was created with a unique purpose, which may or may not be known to me yet. We are all connected in the sense that we share a place on this earth and what one does, we all do. This is the truth no matter what your religious affiliation may be, what ethnicity you are or who you happen to love.