Stop the Yelling

I try hard not to get too controversial in my blog posts but today I am feeling a little disheartened. I try not to let these things bother me but it is hard when it is everywhere I look.

The other night I was driving back from training in Meredith, NH. A local business had a sign near the road that said “Socialism is wrong. God’s word says so.” I shook my head as I tried to wrap my brain around that but was accosted further down the road by a bumper sticker that read “Liberals – America’s Greatest Terrorist Threat.” I stayed behind him just in case my “NH Public Radio” bumper sticker was seen as an attack by the liberal media.

This morning I was getting coffee and a newspaper at the local convenience store. Next to the coffee station was a display of bumper stickers that were obviously designed for those folks who feel that this administration is the source of all their ills. I am seriously considering refraining from entering this store again.

I understand freedom of speech. However, I am increasingly aware that expressing one’s view point has become more like the exchange of insults on a playground instead of healthy debate. I have to admit that I was less than kind during the Bush years. However, I kept most of my comments between me and other liberals and did not seek out ways to openly attack conservatives. I also know that a lot of my liberal friends and colleagues chose to be more public and less kind in their observations. Neither side is innocent here. We are all guilty of behaving rather childishly.

I am also very aware that when I read the signs held up by members of various churches that I fall into quite a few of the categories they list as being damned to hell. I stopped considering myself a Christian when the qualities of Jesus that I most admired were no longer being demonstrated by the Christians with the loudest voices. As a fornicator, adulterer, etc., etc., I would have been welcome in Jesus’ circle and continue to be someone who finds him inspiring. However, I no longer wish to be identified with a fan club that claims exclusivity. I know and love many Christians who don’t want to be identified with the loud group that I sincerely hope is a minority within the Christian religion.

I also think that the miracle of the loaves and fishes was a socialist act and that Jesus lived and travelled in a commune. But those ideas are too liberal for the man with the store sign and the fellow with the bumper sticker to understand.

Yes, my feelings were hurt. And, yes, I wish we could all get along. The Dalai Lama once said that he didn’t want everyone to be Buddhist. He just felt that if everyone practiced their religion sincerely that the world would be better off. I try to be a good Buddhist that attempts to follow the loving values set forth by Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Lao Tzu, Black Eagle, and other great spiritual teachers of the millennia. I am not perfect. I trip. I have fallen flat on my face. I have been a sinner even by my own standards. I have been bruised by life and I have not always been kind to others.

Maybe I am too sensitive. I just want us all to respect each other’s differences and stop laying claim to the truth. My truth is very important to me and I enjoy hearing about other people’s truths. I find value in most religions and I understand how most political agendas are developed by groups of citizens who feel devalued. Just please stop the yelling so that I can hear you.