What a wild couple of weeks, right?! The Charleston shootings, Dominican Republic shenanigans, SCOTUS rulings...
The common theme in all of these stories, is the notion that one thing is lesser than another. One set is superior to the other. Certain folks deserve dignities, but others don't.
Bullcrap!
It's a sick freak that decides to sit in a prayer meeting/bible study for an hour, then shoot up the place.
How dare a group of people decide that another group of people is too dark to (continue to) share the same land!
Wtf do you mean love is only love if it looks like the picture you drew in your head?! Civil, human rights should be equal. Period. And before y'all go in, God IS love, so there's that.
This blog isn't about any of those stories specifically, but mostly about how folks want to cut off/kill/toss people, relationships and things that are different and/or flawed. What a miserable, closed off, isolated existence you create for yourself when you decide everything has to be done according to your rule book.
What I know for sure is, we are all uniquely beautiful and different. Yes there are groups of people who believe in (most of) the same things. Share (mostly) the same ideology. Move through life with similar values. It makes sense that you'd want to surround yourself with like-minded folk. But what if, from time to time, you have opposing points of view on certain issues? Is that cause for a relationship termination? Maybe through life experiences, your (you thought) tried and true belief about a thing changes and you now support a cause your inner circle doesn't. Are you now banished from the circle?
It takes time to get to know a person. To really get to the heart of who they are. There will absolutely be things that annoy us about ANYbody, but there is also good in (almost) EVERYbody. What I have learned is, when people show us who they are - believe them. That 'believe them' part doesn't mean throw them away. It doesn't mean we cannot have enjoyable experiences with them. It means, we now know how to adjust our expectations and interactions with them. To be clear, I am not suggesting that we should continue to participate in abusive, toxic relationships. Sometimes the chord absolutely requires cutting. What I am saying is, we are all living the human experience. We all have moments of despair, sadness, and frustration and we should all experience joy, enthusiasm and generosity. Does a moment of funky human experience negate all the good of it? Not for me.
Unfortunately, everyone does not share this philosophy, and quite frankly, it's the hyper-sensitive, insecure, judgmental ass folks who perpetuate the cycle of distrust and hate. And yes, I included sensitive and judgmental in the same sentence. These folks are 'gon enclose themselves in a rigid, only-do-it-their-way, constant conflict having, unhappy, inside-looking-out bubble of misery. And here's a PSA for the bubble dwellers; you are not vacant of flaws. Here's another one; you will be in a constant state of disappointment, because you always expect what you have defined as perfection from everyone but yourselves.
Tragically, the discernment to recognize their self induced imprisonment as misery, is nonexistent. They actually think they're the cool kids. Well guess what, I don't want to sit at your table! The real cool kid's table is where diversity hangs out - where different ideas are discussed that provoke thought and change. Cool is where different embraces different and learns to walk in empathy and compassion. Cool is where you get out of your feelings and do some work. Cool is where unconditional love resides. And listen, I have not always been the progressive, independent thinker that I am today. I can describe the misery bubble, because I once inhabited it. Thank God for deliverance, liberation and revelation.
I pray y'all get free.
xo
Lila