"It’s the time to buckle down and work positively as much as you can,”
she says. “Just think, ‘All right, there’s nothing I can do about that
right now. But I can do my best in my little circle. So if I do that,
maybe you’ll do your best and we’ll get through this." Actress Betty White, in an interview with Katy Couric, talking about division in the United States and staying positive.
There has been so much hate flying around on Facebook this last year or so. I came so close to blocking people (I did block someone whose posts were non stop hate. I don't block people just because they don't support my candidate) I knew for years. I knew most of the people venting (on both sides) were decent, hardworking people. I also knew that many of them were scared. But it just got to be too much for me to read.
A reader of my blog recommended that I just "scroll on by", and that has kept my sanity.
Now, on the eve of the inauguration of the new President, many are pausing to consider what the future may be holding, for better or for worse. What kind of world?
I don't mean the Trump-Inauguration-As-Twilight Zone-Episode article appearing in a Scottish newspaper.
Or the internet meme started over a comment by Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos in a discussion about if firearms had any place in schools.
(For the benefit of my readers outside the United States, yes, there are places where students must be protected against wildlife. Grizzlies are no joke.)
No, this world: A world, for example, where Jewish community centers all over the country are being targeted by bomb scares.
Or a man accused of harassing a black family is said to have quite an arsenal in his house (and, by the way, his elderly parents were living in that same house.)
Hate crimes in general are on the increase.
But others are happy that their voices are being heard - voices they feel have been ignored by people on both coasts of our country.
Division, with no unity in sight.
Recently, I have pondered my future actions, and what I will do on January 20, and thereafter. I fear, based on how history has gone before, that the divisions in our country are only going to get worse. Love will not trump hate.
Will I be able to work in my own little circle? Will I choose right? And will it make a difference?
Day 19 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
You know how I feel, I'll be wearing black tomorrow, I'll be in DC on Saturday. But the divides in this country are alarming.
ReplyDeleteI hear you Alana... Here is India too, some ppl were venting so badly on the Trump vs Hilary issue - reading their posts depressed me even when I don't follow this politics. I felt like switching off from facebook for a while. Sone ppl are just too vitriolic or have the incessant need to express their unasked for opinion on everything. You did the right thing by removing such ppl. 😊
ReplyDeleteIt is a scary transition. One could think that those that voted for Mr. Trump are now recognizing their choice- since positive feelings about a Trump presidency are some 10% below the numbers of vote he accrued. Except a more sentient being would realize that those significant numbers that failed to vote are now decrying their lassitude.
ReplyDeleteI hear you, and I share the same concerns, despite the fact that I'm a citizen of another country. These times are very discouraging indeed. :(
ReplyDeleteThe JCC in my community was targeted yesterday. I am not on Facebook. Just don't want to deal with it. Folks are crazy. How else could we have DT for president.
ReplyDeleteWhen the political posts on facebook get to be too obnoxious, I "hide" them. I've given up on arguing with someone who makes no sense so I go to ignore mode. If I don't see it on my "wall," it ceases to exist! I know that sounds a little immature but... well, it does work for me. I very rarely post things that are blatantly partisan but I do, at times, write about issues and I try to be polite and informative. I'm not sure if I succeed, but polite and informative are my goals.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your heartfelt post. In spite of my concerns about the harm this incoming administration will do, my prayer is that God protects us all from this craziness. I choose to be hopeful not because of what I see, but because of Who I know is in control.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Who every vote for whom ever, I feel we should at least give the one elected a chance. The hate over the past year plus has been terrible on both sides. I wonder what the children of the haters are thinking, is this the way to teach our young?
ReplyDeleteIt's a sad day, indeed.
ReplyDeleteI actual enjoy reading the other side of a political debate but being hateful and uncivil is no reason for it.
ReplyDeleteI'm a minor here..Cruz won our primary and Trump took over 50% of the vote.
I wonder how the next four years will be.
Coffee is on
As much as I dread the transition on Jan 20, I haven't lost hope in the fact that love will overcome hate. So I choose to stay cautiously optimistic. No not about Trump, but about the people of this country that we live in.
ReplyDeleteI feel there is a need to use the social media independence with some responsibility. yes! I am not happy with the present political situation in US yet it doesn't mean that I begin saying such hate words about a person who seems to have given hope to majority of people there. I feel the if I were in such a situation is would feel that - my disappointment limits within me and I do my work towards a better me and my surroundings, may be to change the next elections.
ReplyDelete