Might Just Be Me

I recently joined a Facebook group suggested by several friends. It's a group of 'like-minded' people to my progressive tendencies. I joined, and while there were positive posts, I was disheartened by how many mean-spirited comments there were. Is it "progressive" to throw proverbial stones, call names, actively attempt to harm and be hateful? Was this a place I was supposed to find comfort?

Perhaps it is just me, but the message I received long ago was that hate is hate and love is love. Perhaps I got that wrong. I was very young when I learned that.

In fact, I think it might just be me - but I don't want to be surrounded by a curated feed just preaching to my choir. I want to hear what people are really saying. I want to listen. I want to understand. I think that's how we heal. There could be - there should be - hard conversations, but we should be brave enough to have them civilly.

And perhaps civility is justifiably dead in the face of extreme racism (indeed, any racism) but, once again, folks are acting like this stuff is just now taking place. It's not new. I've been here the whole time watching it - speaking out and fighting against it. It finally got televised one too many times and it heartens me that this may be the moment when it gets the attention it deserves. Still, I think our neighbor is not our enemy. Rather just some one that hasn't heard or been heard.

I want this to be the moment when we fix this damn thing - or at least when it finally starts getting fixed for real. I don't think that will happen screaming into a void of like-minded people, nodding our heads and donning our blinders. Indeed, I think that's how this whole problem started in the first place. I think we need to reach across the table, be accountable, get educated, speak out, change policy, vote, vote and vote, protest, demand action, come together, teach, learn, act, listen, listen and listen and...love thy neighbor.

But again, I think it might just be me.