The Calm
This morning, in preparation of the window cleaners arriving, I opened all the blinds – my house has eleven sliding glass doors as its perimeter. Abundant sunshine flowed in as I stood enjoying the view of the waterfall outside my back-patio window. The complex in which I live is a little oasis in the middle of a busy suburb, miles away from the chaos in the city. Inhaling a deep breath, I felt a sense of calm.
The Chaos
As soon as I turned on the television news to catch up on the day’s headlines while eating breakfast, my calmness transformed to stress. I could feel my jaw clenching as my heart began to race. Anger, sadness, disappointment, and worry enveloped me as politics conflicted with focusing on what is best for the American people – all people, regardless of race, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, age, etc. We are ALL beings that breathe, bleed, cry, laugh, etc. No ONE is greater than the WHOLE. Period. Yet while listening to the news, that is not the overall message I took away.
Social media is filled with posts talking about the importance of history, teachable moments, being kind, justice, and freedom as well as posts that spew hate, unfairness, violence, and superiority. Everyone has an opinion about the other – sides have been drawn and many are stubbornly hunkered down for a fight. I would like to offer my opinion: no one completely understands how a person feels, especially a person of color or religion who has been discriminated against, unless they have proverbially walked in their shoes. I strongly believe that everyone needs to be more open-minded and empathetic while working toward creating a climate that is more just and fair for all.
Create Lasting Change
There is so much hate and anger in our communities fueled by fear. Fear of our differences. If only people embraced our differences and celebrated them, learning from each other so we could all strive to be better while appreciating each other for who we are versus who we think they should be. Thank God there are those who do this. But we need more people to rise as leaders, putting politics aside to enrich our humanity. My concern is how do we get the right people to step up…and who are these “right” people?
My questions are rhetorical and I hope they give you pause. Think about what you can do to make a difference. Voting, donating time or money, and having meaningful conversations is a beginning. What else? Let’s keep this dialogue going within our own social circles in the hopes that the chaos occurring in our communities today are the true tipping point to real, positive, lasting change finally coming to fruition.
Be Present | Be Purposeful | Be Well