I went on a road trip this summer. I traveled through Canada to Jasper, through the Icefields Parkway, to Lake Louise and Banff. We journeyed through Calgary and Glacier National Park. We saw some amazing things. Like, "AMAZING" in my best Paul Giamatti voice. Actually amazing doesn't scratch the surface. I hula hooped in a river and on a glacier. I walked on to bridges and actually crossed a few. We talked to people from all over the United States and Europe. The trip was fantastically beautiful.
The world we live in today is not as beautiful. I have been watching, as many of you have, the events unfold over the past few years and wonder why things are the way they are now. I'm not sure I believe the president when he says we are not as divided as we once were. Does he read the comments on social media? On news outlets? We are most certainly divided. Black. White. Gay. Straight. Republican. Democrat. Atheist. Christian.
I cannot believe the names that people throw around. The fallacies and false comparisons. People that have taught their children not to call names or to judge a person. Children that have been raised not to call names or judge a person. Those ideals seem to be thrown out the window when it comes to a differing point of view. And, it gets thrown around freely because so many think everyone around them thinks as they do or can't believe that someone might honestly have a differing opinion.
When we were in Banff we watched a movie about the natural resources on our planet and how it is our responsibility to care for it. It ended with "it belongs to us". People are a resource on this planet too. They are ours to take care of - if not physically, then emotionally and socially. It is hard to preach love if you have hate in your heart.
I do not believe name calling is okay. (Unless a person cuts you off on the freeway... then maybe.) We all get upset. But stop and think. Who is your audience? Sergio the Subaru and my occasional passenger are not going to be harmed by the occasional rant that results in surviving a near death experience. And even then, my comments are more directed at the skill of the driver rather than their character. My problem is that we are quick to assassinate the character of an individual without even knowing them.
The election is coming. Whether Hillary or Donald, our nation needs to decide what it wants and start working together to make the changes. We can sit there and be upset about how they got the nomination or who did what to whom and when. We can accuse people of private emails or plagiarism on Facebook. We can call people idiots and make fun of them. We can call others stupid for voting a certain way. We can be the cause of more hurt and more division. OR, we can ask ourselves why did the majority of Americans choose these people. What is at the root of the issues that made these two people America's choice.
Leaving the country, not voting, armchair quarterbacking every decision are options. But do they do anything to make it better? Is it really a solution? Do you really want to only be surrounded by people who think as you do? Or, if someone thinks differently than you about one thing, are you willing to write them off entirely or to doubt their character?
I don't have the answers. I do have many questions. I want to find solutions. I want to understand why people think or believe what they do. That comes with relationships. We foster relationships by being approachable and open minded. When our minds and hearts close, we become that very thing that so many people are railing against. So onward I go, trying to keep my mind open, my heart open and my eyes open to the things this world - and those who love in it and on it- have to offer and to learn from the good and the bad, always trying to make a positive difference. Until next time.
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