Breaking the Silence

I've kept quiet about the things that have happened in our country in the past couple of weeks, which is by design. It's been an upsetting time.

I decided when I started this blog that its purpose wasn't to comment on social or political issues.  This space is meant to be a place where you can come and get some ideas for dinner, travel vicariously with me (and my sister sometimes!), share in the simple joys and frustrations and ridiculousness of everyday life, and maybe escape from your own troubles for a little while.  That's why I write it.

If you know me at all, you know I don't do the hashtag thing associated with social movements and events.  I support some of these in my heart, but their focus and meaning and associations so often rapidly change and then have to be re-explained or understanding corrected, it's no longer effective.  Social media posting trends are generally too simplistic to express my thoughts on such complex subjects, so I'm not participating, but others do, that's okay by me.

For the record, I'm all for peaceful protests and free speech for ALL sides.  Everybody should be able to speak his mind without fear of being ridiculed, shamed, or silenced.  But shouting and rioting are the quickest ways to lose my respect.  In these times, I'm probably considered an oddball for saying so.

I believe in the Pledge of Allegiance - ONE nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice FOR ALL.  That's the ideal we all as Americans should strive for.  Compassion and justice for everybody, from everybody.  And the rule of law is part of that justice.  Justice is supposed to be blind, so nobody is favored.  I think everyone needs to be reminded of that.

It's easy to become overwhelmed by all that's happened and is still happening.  All the emotions that come are legitimate:  sadness, fear, anger, disappointment, shock, depression, uncertainty, shame.  The important thing is to listen.  Don't make assumptions about people on any side of the issues.  Remember we all have one mouth and two ears.  It may be a good time to keep our ears open and our mouths shut.  Silence may at times be golden, but I don't believe it's ever violence, contrary to some signs I've seen paraded at a couple of local protests.

What else is golden?  How about the Golden Rule?  Treat others the way you'd want to be treated.  If we all followed THAT rule, there probably wouldn't be any problem.

There.  I've said my piece.

Comments on this post have been disabled.  If you choose to comment on Facebook or Twitter, that's up to you, but I probably won't look at them.

That's all, folks.

We will return to our regular program in the following post, comments and all.

DEEP (A Five-Minute Friday Post)

When That Girl was in high school, when I'd get "definite" about some issue, she would say, "Calm down!  It's not that deep."   Of course, those issues often involved some misbehavior on her part!

But really, aren't most things we get all worked up about not all that important?  We have to learn to choose our battles, as they say.  Or, as I like to say, you have to choose your own reaction.  You can choose to be angry, or you can choose to say, "Well, it is what it is."

It used to exasperate That Girl when she'd say that someone had "made her mad," and I'd tell her, "No, you chose to be mad."  For the most part, people just do what they do, and they're too wrapped up in themselves to bother to purposely make you angry.  

That doesn't mean you have to accept, agree with, or condone whatever it is, but what good does it do you to allow yourself to be angry and start shouting, which blocks logical thought and civil discourse.  It doesn't do your blood pressure or your digestive system any favors, either, and you'll probably regret the things you say and the loss of control .  

Anger itself isn't good or bad, but rather how we choose to express it.  You have to figure out just how truly deep the problem really is, then decide how to go about changing it.

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This post is part of the Five-Minute Friday link-up.  Today's writing prompt was "DEEP."  For more information on Five-Minute Friday, click here.