I am really struggling, folks. I do everything I can to exhibit kindness, to help heal the world, even while I feel angry that these cruel and, in some cases, criminal acts are taking place. In my area, a massive raid happened at a supermarket where people were going about their day, being gainfully employed or taking care of their families by grocery shopping. They were scooped up in a dragnet like they were creatures and not people. ICE has quotas to meet, and they seem not to care about someone’s immigration status. This is not conspiracy. This is not propaganda. These are people’s lives. Some are disappeared at immigration hearings, some are harassed in public places, as a show of force and weaponizing fear.
If those who voted for the current administration stand with us and say ENOUGH! we might see humane treatment. The torturous ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ in South Florida needs to be dissolved and people returned to their homes. I am appalled at the heartlessness of those who manufactured merch to sell online and the people who posed gleefully in front of road signs. Do they have a conscience? Can they imagine themselves in the places of those who have been unjustly detained? The answer clearly is that they can’t. Some who voted for him thought the consequences would affect others, not them or anyone they know. Is that human nature that is hardwired, or a result of lack of conscience? I don’t know about your upbringing, but my parents taught my sister and me to care about people outside our immediate circles too.
One of my mother’s favorite musicals was South Pacific with the signature song, “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught”. Some of the lyrics, “You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear. You’ve got to be taught from year to year. It’s got to be drummed in your dear little dear. You’ve got to be carefully taught.” I remember asking my mom why anyone would encourage their children to hate. She shook her head sadly and said she didn’t know but that’s not how she and my father were raising us. Clearly, the lessons stuck since my sister and I are good humans, as she likes to say, who spread kindness and compassion.
And those who clamored for ‘saving the children’ and blaming ‘the Deep State’ for child trafficking are mum about the Epstein client list that was simultaneously on Pam Bondi’s desk in February and then non existent and then a hoax perpetrated by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Schrödinger’s list? You would think that if he wasn’t implicated and his name all up and down the documents, he would eagerly call for their release. I suspect that he is not just covering his own tush, but those of others of his cronies. I suppose that if there were more Dems and Libs on the list than Repubs and Conservatives, he might be more forthcoming. In what sane world would this have gotten that far? I guess they don’t care as much about innocent lives as they claim to. I guess they care more about protecting women from trans people in bathrooms and on sports fields. If those on my side of the aisle are on the list, they should reap the consequences and be brought to justice as well. I would imagine that everything coming to light would be even a small measure of comfort and validation to their victims. These men are likely to be fathers and grandfathers who should be protecting children, not harming them. I also wonder about the parents of the minors. Did they know that their little ones were in the company of rapists or were they kidnapped and trafficked?
I use my voice loud and clear. It is not enough to attempt to understand those who support him. These cruel acts have to stop. I am an active participant in protests in my area and see them as a requirement of conscience and the practice of Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for ‘repair of the world’) that was modeled for me in childhood. I am in good company with folks in my community. We participated in a rally in Doylestown, PA to honor the 5th anniversary of the death of Congressman John Lewis who encouraged people to ‘get in good trouble’. I made a sign that reads, “Getting in good trouble since the 70s,’ with peace signs and butterflies embellishing it. People in my demographic at the protest nodded knowingly.
It was scorchingly hot even at the 5:30 pm start time and all of us were dripping. I noted that ‘this is what a sweaty Patriot looks like’.
In a conversation with a dear friend, on the same side of the political aisle, who knows me well and has been in my life since the 1980s, she pointed out that it isn’t constructive for me to say that I hold accountable, anyone who voted for this administration, since shaming doesn’t contribute to positive change. I get that. What about accountability? He made it crystal clear what his intentions were, and he has been checking all the boxes.
She reminded me that some people are ill informed and get their news from limited sources or from multi-generational family teaching. I had the thought about the quote, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” That may have worked for Jesus, but I have my doubts. Once you know better, you can do better. That may sound like shaming, as in who am I to tell people they made ill advised decisions that now impact the world? If someone has regrets about their votes, there are plenty of ways to make amends. They can vote Blue up and down ballot, they can join us on the front lines, they can speak with their families and friends, they can contribute to Dem campaigns, they can donate to NPR, PBS (especially now that Republicans have seen fit to cut funding…what’s so scary about Big Bird and Cookie Monster?), NAACP, ACLU, and Planned Parenthood. I love the encouragement that the residents of Sesame Street offer young viewers, “You’re getting stronger, smarter, kinder on Sesame Street.” My question is this: Do they want kids to be weaker, dumber and meaner? I am wondering how many of the legislators grew up on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and missed the lessons on kindness and caring, or didn’t they watch it at all?
I have been losing sleep over this. I wake up two and three times a night, check the social media thread to see what fresh hell has broken out overnight and then do my best to pray myself back to sleep before I go down the doom scrolling rabbit hole. It is so easy to get caught up in sleep deprivation catastrophizing. I don’t have that luxury…do any of us really?
I have been listening to music to self soothe and it has made a difference.
Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart? by the legendary Stevie Wonder implores the listener to use the tools of love, reconciliation and an awareness of the light we all contain to engage in mending the rend caused by hatred and violence.
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This Post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: iStock
