Some Thoughts on the World

I have not been able to stop thinking about a post a friend of mine put on Facebook yesterday. 

“When the Obama 2012 sign appeared on our street, so too did the Confederate flag in short order.”

This is just two miles down the road from me, here in New Hampshire.

I used to say that the racism here was subtle as opposed to the in your face racism of the south where I lived for 26 years.  However, it seems that the hateful rhetoric of the past four years has encouraged people to use their freedom of speech in threatening ways.  As a liberal pacifist, the last time I felt threatened was right after the start of the Iraqi war when everyone but a few were believing Bush’s claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.  My values were considered traitorous at that time.  There were actually a couple of times when people tried to run me off the road and the only reason I could ascertain was that they didn’t like my bumper sticker that simply said “Peace.”

I feel more threatened now.  The far right wing has become more verbal, engages in less critical thinking, and has guns.  There are certainly many conservatives with whom I could engage in open discourse who have not been spoon fed their politics by FOX news and the Tea Party.  I think that we could agree that we are of different opinions and would be respectful of each other’s viewpoint.  However, when I see Confederate flags and hear of calls to do unspeakable things to our President, and see bumper stickers and comments on news items (i.e. the death of Andy Griffith) that are spewing hatred I retreat further to the left.  When did this minority of the far right become so loud? 

I was born a liberal.  How do I know I was born this way and not indoctrinated?    I remember early on questioning the teachings of the Catholic church I attended from first to fourth grade. Also, my parents did not discuss politics so there was little chance to be indoctrinated. My sister and I were dismayed to find out many years later that our father voted for Richard Nixon.  I think I understand his decision, though.  My father was a Korean war vet who firmly believed in the cause of fighting against communism even though a lot of his thinking would have fallen into the ideals of socialism.  Like many people of his generation, he did not grasp the difference between the two.  If he was alive today, I hope he would do everything he could to understand Obamacare so that he could defend it and would not be hindered by the socialist label that so many conservatives have tagged onto it in order to raise fear. 

That is where the dividing line falls for me.  Not between conservatives and liberals, but between people who choose to carefully study the issues and make their decisions based on fact rather than the sound bites of FOX news and the color of a person’s skin, the origin of one’s name or their immigration status, and whether or not one has a vagina or a penis. 

If you are willing to stop yelling at me with your rhetoric, I am glad to listen.  Those of you who prefer to wave your Confederate flags and hide behind your guns – well, you make me fear for this country.   It doesn’t matter, though, because you probably aren’t reading this. 

In the end, whenever I am feeling discouraged, I remember what Anne Frank wrote in her diary shortly before being found by the Nazis:

"In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death."

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.