When I thought about what to write today, my mind filled with images of the 65- year-old Asian woman who was shoved down, kicked, and stomped on with no one coming to her aid. A person even closed the door rather than step out and help her. My heart aches. Not only does my heart ache, but I’m mad, angry, and I want this violence against the “other” whatever that means to someone to stop. STOP IT. JUST STOP. NOW.
People can choose not to like someone because of the color of their skin, the slant of their eyes, their accent, their religion. He/she can choose not to associate with those “others.” But that person cannot choose to physically or psychologically harm them. That is not okay.
This is still my message, but I read my friend J.Q. Rose’s post today and was reminded of how much we are all alike. You’ll notice I’ve even borrowed one of her graphics. Here’s the link to her post. Focused on Story: Open Up Your Heart, Happy Easter, Joyous Passover (jqrose.com)
Christians, Jews, and Muslims celebrate holidays in the spring. I love it when a variety of religious holidays hit close to the same time. I see it as a symbol of our closeness rather than our differences. The following comes from USA Today online. Easter, Ramadan, Passover 2021: Holidays are ‘complex’ amid vaccines (usatoday.com)
“Passover, which marks the liberation of enslaved Jewish people in Egypt, began Sunday and ends April 4, when Christians celebrate Easter, the resurrection of Christ. Orthodox Easter is May 2.”
“Meanwhile, the holy month of Ramadan will span from April 12 to May 12 and culminate with Eid al-Fitr, which will break the monthlong, sunrise-to-sunset fasts for Muslims.“
We have so much in common:
We love our parents.
We love our children and want the best for them.
We value Education.
Religion is important to us and spirituality gives meaning to our lives.
We love the earth and value it.
Good will triumph over Evil.
Maybe you think these are just Pollyannaish ideas. That they’re impossible pie-in-the-sky ideas. But you and I can make them real. All we have to do is be willing to step up and to speak out. Let people know, it’s not okay with us for them to use pejorative words and phrases against whoever they see as “the other.”
We need to do this because it’s the right thing to do, but we need to do it to protect ourselves. To someone else, each of us is the “other.” Someone out there takes exception to who I am and who you are, and they feel free to threaten us. But not if we all band together and say, “Stop the Hate,” against whatever group.
So at this holy time of year for so many of us. Let’s agree to do that. Be the person to speak up and say, STOP THE HATE. We can make a difference.
Book News: I now have print copies of TAINTED. You can find them on Amazon, or if you’re in the Fort Worth area, I can get a copy to you.
