Hate Ends Here

Hate Ends Here

  

February is Black History Month; and while I do intend on writing some pieces on the fabulous people of color in our great world, today I am choosing to write on something which I consider to be an epidemic...Indifference.

Now many will say, and recently I have read the disgruntled statements made about specific groups having holidays, websites, awards shows, television channels etc. And while these statements were made to create hate and chaos amongst the masses...I found it to be a perfect platform for what I know to be true about the world that we live in and the capability of mankind.

As human beings we waste so much precious time. We waste time separating ourselves from other human beings. Perhaps we do it because we have some need to want to feel more important; as children we all know how much better we feel if people are making a fuss over us. And it is only unfortunate that over the years we have come to realize that often when we are degrading or demoralizing another person...it is meant only to make us look shiny and new. Here in lies the problem, we aren’t shiny and new.

When we are attacking and trying to lessen the significance of another person or being...we are only fueling an old fire. Racial bias, prejudice, misanthropy, religious persecutions...are real problems that we have been facing for centuries. Isn’t it sad to know that for hundreds of years we have been stuck in the same place? We have been fighting a tug of war against ourselves and wondering why we aren’t advancing. When we set aside the hearts and souls of those around us...we become indifferent to the plight of mankind.

When we have to set a side a specific month to bring the focus on a particular group of people...it is only due to the fact that they have been overlooked in the world, at large. We should never have to search for how much a certain race or culture has added to our existence...as long as we include those beings in our daily acknowledgements of who brought us to where we are today. For example if all cultures of this country were equally represented in our public school curriculum then we may feel more balanced, over all.

But the painful truth is...we do segregate ourselves from those not exactly like us. We will find reasons to diminish the contributions that people of other races...religions...sexes or cultures have brought to our daily lives. We have gotten so frigid and cold that we don’t realize that we are doing it; until someone from a minority group points it out. Then we will use our only defense and say...he/she is an angry man/woman. That is when the gloves come on and it becomes a slapping contest. We will all try and diminish the accomplishments of one another in an attempt to make us feel better about ourselves.

We are ALL human beings...of one race. And given the way our paths are going we are not far from extinction. We have become destructive to each other and to ourselves. We find reasons to declare war on each other...as if we are the voice of truth and reason.

Our Creator has high expectations of us all. I know, at times, it can seem difficult to fulfill such a tall order and we can become overwhelmed. But we need not feel that it is out of the realm of what we are capable of. We are supposed to be able to love and lean on one another. And if it feels strange and unusual to love so easily...it is only because we may be out of practice and quite possibly we are in worse shape than I am even relaying to you now.

Let us show our children the way to God. They are depending on us to lead by example...so they can do the same for their children. Lift up one another. When we do that instead of tearing down one another, you can feel the change in the air. We start transferring good loving thoughts and energy to those around us. Let the cycle of life be a productive and prosperous one. Plant a seed of hope for someone who has feels lost...it’s like giving a road map of life to a person who has been driving around in circles.

Search deep within you for the compliment that you are hoping someone will say to you...and give it to someone else. Transfer sunshine through your smile; show the world that starting with you...the hate ends here.

A Single Drop of Water

A Single Drop of Water

  During this time of year, there will be people who will be singing and celebrating; laughing and crying; shopping and worshipping; remembering and mourning. It is the season of many emotions and experiences, for most. Not unlike any other time of year, I have spent time reminding us to be kind and loving with one another.

  I realized long ago that we all are different, in one fashion or another. No matter how similar we appear to be, if we search deep enough...we will find our distinctive characteristics. By the same token, if we search deep within those that we find to be our polar opposites...we will find the very likeness of us.

  What is the point of this? It’s a point in which, I take great pride in shining light on. We were all created from the same source and created with the same foundation. Our Creator, our point of origin...the maker of all things great and small...started our lives with a single drop of water. And throughout time we can visit and re-visit how water restores, replenishes, revitalizes and revives all living things. That single drop of water, brushed with the love of our Creator...is where we all started and where we should remain focused.

  For all of our differences and unique qualities...one thing tangible keeps us connected...like it or not. Our Creator, no matter what you refer to Him/her as...built us with love. We know this is true because no matter where we look, in music, lyrics, movies, art, even in our most divine books...we are told to love each other. At this point, we should have realized that loving our fellow living beings is important...because we are constantly being reminded to do so.

  The one constant we will have in this life is that as much as we are dissimilar...we are exactly the same. Our foundation cares nothing about how we look differently, speak differently, behave differently, or even worship differently. In the eyes of the Creator, we are the same.

  When the time comes and we are asked how we made use of our time here on earth...I pray that we have something more to offer than we spent time separating people because we have convinced ourselves of the superiority myth. None of us, not one single human being...is better than, above, greater than or superior to ...ANYTHING. Your hair color or texture, the pigment of your skin, the accent of your voice, the size or shape of your body, the location of your earthly home, nor the religion, faith, or the life philosophy that you adhere to...does not put you above anyone or anything else. And as long as we have that delusion in our minds...we are not doing the work of God/Allah.

  Our time here is brief...to prove that fact you only have to ask anyone who has ever loved someone who passed away. So knowing this information...why do we waste so much time on hate and indifference? We are supposed to build our fellow man and woman up...we are supposed to help and guide one another. But in order to do that we must stop trying to isolate one another.

  I hope that during this season of love and hope...that we water the seed which God/Allah planted within us. Love is instilled within our being, but we must cultivate it, water it, and share it with the world. Touch everyone you can...through your fingertips... your speech or your deeds...God’s message can be delivered through us; just as electricity travels through water.

  I implore you to stop wasting time on the negativity that darkness can breed. Remember that just like mold needs darkness to thrive...so does negativity and hate. The Creator’s light is all around us...we need only to seek it. We can see it in compassion, empathy, joy, kindness, thoughtfulness...and when you aren’t watching...you can feel, smell, touch and absorb it through the laughter of children.

  Love is a gift that we are supposed to give to others; and because we were born with it we are supposed to do it all the time. We can hardly hold love hostage, by attaching stipulations to it. The statement “I will love you if...” is a statement of darkness. So here is my message to you: I will love you because God loves me. I will stand by you and defend you against any being that is of the belief that you are not good enough. I answer to our Creator, He holds me accountable for my actions, thoughts and the intentions of my heart.

  Today I would ask you to stand up...become accountable...spread love and joy...for only then can peace prosper.

Forgive Us

Forgive Us

 Often, myself included, we will drop to our knees when we are in need of something which we feel would be unattainable without your assistance. We remember to reach toward heaven when we feel weak or desperate…with no place to rest our weary hearts. I want to thank you and acknowledge all of the bountiful gifts that you send our way, and apologize for those we don’t seem to be grateful for.

 But today, I want to ask your forgiveness…for all that we don’t say and for all the things we do or fail to do. Please forgive us for not falling to our knees, humbling ourselves, every given moment possible. Forgive us for not only creating wars, but for breeding hate…among our fellow man. We make excuses for the reasons we say war is necessary…but is the cost of a tank of gas really worth the innocent lives of men, women and children? Forgive us for being so self indulgent that we believe, that we are better than anyone or anything else…on your earth. How dare we belittle another person for not being exactly like we are…when did we become so arrogant? I humbly apologize for mankind believing that we have the right to take another life…for whatever reason. Our justifications for murder, on any level, are just created to absolve us for any feelings of guilt…and we should feel guilty…because how can we believe we have the right to destroy life when it was created by you? Forgive us for standing by and watching, as innocent children are abused and murdered everyday…by the very parents that were supposed to guard and protect them. How lazy we have gotten, when did parenting become a chore…and not the gift that you bestowed upon us? Forgive us for preaching about how much we love our fellow man…while selling poison to him on the very streets our children play on. Who are we to glorify, and make excuses for men and women who sell drugs to every man, woman or child who have their hand out? What kind of people create petitions to force a homeless person to vacate a bridge…because it bothers us to see some one in that state? I suppose it would be too much to try and help him/her find housing or a job…after all everyone just loves having no place to call their own. Forgive us for using televisions, computers and gaming systems as replacements for active parenting. When did we stop caring what happened in our children’s classes? Why do we no longer question what our children are taught? Forgive the absent fathers and mothers, who fool themselves into believing that their absence doesn’t matter. If for one moment the absent parent had to listen to a child cry themselves to sleep because they hold themselves responsible for the abandonment…maybe they would see things differently. Forgive us for not taking the time to spread love and joy to our neighbors…regardless of race, creed, and religion. I’m not sure why we are of the belief that we are superior to anyone or anything.

 I ask that you forgive us for destroying the very forests that took hundreds of years to grow…and for destroying the communities of living organisms that depended on that growth for survival….and shame on us for believing that replanting a tree would make up for that act. Forgive us for being so thoughtless that we throw trash into a body of water…where marine life is trying to survive. I guess if some one threw trash into a glass of water we were trying to drink…we might feel differently. Forgive us for all the people we have enslaved, killed, raped, tortured, and demeaned…for our own greedy purposes. And please help us learn from this huge error in judgment…so that we can stop making the same mistakes over and over again.

 I ask that you forgive us…so that with your guidance we can learn to appreciate all that you have given us. And with this knowledge we can teach, by example, our children to love all that you created for us. Help us to stop making excuses and start making amends. Please allow us the opportunity to learn how to love without bias, and show us how important it is to not only reach out…but lift up.

And A Tear Fell

And A Tear Fell

 The other night, quite by accident, I stumbled across a movie called ‘The Laramie Project’. Once I read a brief description of the movie/docu-drama, I was instantly set on watching this. I must say this was one of the saddest dramas that I had seen in a while, not because its contents were a shock…but because it actually happened to a real person…and some how it struck a chord in me.

 The Laramie Project is about an incident that occurred Oct. 6, 1998; definitely not a current event…but still very much an important issue. On the sixth day of October 1998, two 21 year old young men, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, kidnapped, and beat Matthew Shepard (21); such a beating in fact that he, as an end result, passed away. All three of these young men were citizens of Laramie, Wyoming.

 According to the taped and verbal confessions, at the time of the arrest of the two assailants, I learned some very frank facts. One night, at a bar, Matthew Sheppard (a self proclaimed homosexual), was offered a ride home by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. During this ride, Aaron McKinney brutally beat Matthew, with his hands and the butt of his hand gun. When asked, Aaron said that Matthew asked him to stop one time…but after that he was too busy getting beat. Russell Henderson drove his truck to a spot high above the city…where the two tied Matthew to a fence post. While Russell pleaded for Aaron to stop, Aaron McKinney continually beat Matthew Shepard half to death. The college freshman was left there for 18 hours before authorities found him. Matthew stayed in a coma for 6 days, and on October 12, 1998, Matthew Shepard passed away.

 The entire drama was about reactions from the townspeople, since all three were local residents. The reactions were varied, which I found rather disturbing. Some people, of course, were sympathetic and empathetic with the Shepard family; but not all were.

 This was a heinous crime, filled with hate, and bigotry. But the terrible truth is, just like it happened in Laramie, it could and in fact, does happen every day. All Matthew did was be different than other people. Matthew was a gay man, period; that was his crime. The fact that everyone in that town was not appalled by this crime was total lunacy. He was beaten, until they got tired and bored with it…and then he was left to die.

 The sad thing about this incident, which is actually an issue, is that even 13 years later, it still happens. People look away while people are harassed about their sexuality, race, religion, socio-economic background, and social affiliations. How long should we look away? How bad does it have to get? How many teenagers have to die; by their own hand or the hand of others…because they are different? How many times do we laugh it off when we hear people we care about use racial slurs, sexist comments, demeaning words, or phrases? Why is ignorance acceptable?

 Life is so short, to even take one minute to degrade another person…is one precious minute of life…..wasted. Why is walking away so difficult? Isn’t the true strength found in the one who walks away rather than in the one who engages in the fight? We have become a society where we need to tear another person down in order to feel good about ourselves.

 The truly frightening reality is that we, as adults, are training our children to hate. We are helping to raise future bigots; who may be capable of hate crimes. Is this what we want? Would you feel comfortable with this…if Matthew had been your son? As statistics can readily show, Matthew is the rule not the exception. He could have been killed because he was a different race, handicapped, poor, or a variety of reasons…he just happened to be gay. If Matthew had been a heterosexual female with blonde hair and blue eyes…would this crime have been more socially unacceptable?

 We need to take a stand. Stand up and fight for the voices that never get heard…because society is busy judging them. Do what is right…hold your head high and stretch your arms to Heaven…before we let another tear fall.

Marked By Misogyny

Marked by Misogyny

Misogyny.

  This particular topic…I have pondered for close to a month now. It is an issue which of course affects me personally. But for those that didn’t know, or weren’t aware…misogyny is hate of women. Now I realize that this blog will cause people to stir and grumble about it. That actually is the point, and recently I realized that unless you shine light on issues…people will behave like it isn’t even there. And as I have learned when talking about injustices due to race, religious beliefs and bigotry, as a whole, people would rather it not be discussed. But since I am a woman…and it affects me directly, I am not willing to wish it away.

  There will be some people that will say that I am wrong, or that I am making something out of nothing…however, since it is hate against an entire group of people it does warrant an educated discussion.

  Women are often the scale in which manhood is decided…for instance, “you throw like a girl”, along with other various names that men or boys are called that refer to a female or her body parts…used to demean and isolate boys or men.

  Why is it socially acceptable for women to wear a garment usually termed “masculine”, such as jeans or pants…yet when a man or boy wants to dress in attire termed “feminine” he is ridiculed? Why is a girl being called a “tomboy” acceptable but a boy being called girl-like…or anything similar, but not as kind…is an insult? Why is it that we make fun, or create jokes about males who are in the Ballet, nurses (instead of doctors), beauticians, or various other gender biased professions?

  I suppose that who ever started and carries on these ridiculous ideas about women…never really has had a REAL woman in their life. And I say that because the strongest people I have ever known in my life…are all women.

  A woman was chosen to carry an embryo for 40 weeks and give birth to a baby weighing usually around 7-8 pounds. Why do we go to our mothers when it feels like the world is crashing down around our ears? I know men, who I find extremely masculine, that lean on their mothers when their troubles have gotten too heavy. How many men do you know that look for someone they can count on when seeking a wife? Would you feel like you could count on some one weaker than you?

  Let us not confuse compassion, and kindness for weakness. They do not go hand in hand. There have been women throughout history that have broken through barriers created by their male counterparts…which I can assure you makes them anything but weak:

1910 Alice Stebbins Wells became the first female police officer in the United States…she joined the L.A.P.D.

Early 1800’s Molly Williams (a slave) became the first female firefighter in the United States…coincidentally…she was also the first African-American female firefighter also.

1870 Esther Morris became the first female judge in the United States, in the preceding year she helped secure the right for women to vote in the Wyoming territory…where the ratio was 6 men to every one woman.

1917 Loretta Walsh was the first woman to enlist in the military; she joined the United States Navy.

1995 Lt. Kelly Flinn became the first female B-52 Bomber Pilot.

1849 Dr Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to graduate from medical school.

  These female pioneers broke through some thoroughly masculine career fields…I can assure you it was not an easy task. And I am certain that like most things, they were heavily scrutinized in their every move. However it did not stop them from making the way for other great women in history and in our lives.

  So the next time that you consider the weaker of the sexes…perhaps you should remember…just because you might say it… doesn’t make it so.

  It is true that women did not choose to carry children, we were created that way…but I have never spoken to a single man that said he could withstand all that birthing a child entails. Remember when we are belittling the women in our society…that means YOUR mom, YOUR grandmother, and YOUR daughter…do you really think she is weak?