Cue: Kindness

Whatever happened to kindness? When did we start treating everyone like a threat, like the enemy, just because they think differently than we do? Why did we start letting fear rule and facts drool? Since when do we take what people say as fact because it is posted on social media? How did the most ignorant person in the room become the one everyone looks to for information? Why is evil and greed now the norm?

Remember when we used to joke about “well, if you read it on the internet, it must be true!”? Well, who’s laughing now? It feels like I am in that movie, “The Invention of Lying” and people have figured out that they can post the most ridiculous claims in an anonymous Facebook post, and watch the people go nuts. We now know terms like “rage bait” and “deep fake” and “keyboard warrior” because the lies keep coming, but so does the drama – and the people can’t get enough. The majority of human beings are now reading random “facts” on the Internet and treating them as law – the very thing we used to joke about being outrageous is now being thrown in our faces when we challenge it. What changed?

The weight I have been feeling recently has been getting heavier. Sure, I have a husband, a new house, a dog that constantly wants attention and needs exercise, a demanding job, and an ever-growing list of extracurriculars. These things are stressful, especially when they all demand my attention at once – but they also give me joy and purpose. So, why do I feel like I’m drowning? Why do I feel like there is impending doom around every corner? 

Because nothing feels safe right now.

All I read are posts of hate, judgment, and ridicule. All I hear are stories of deceit and rage. Facts are made out to be lies and lies are made out to be facts. Everyone is watching everyone; everyone is blackmailing everyone; everyone is out to get everyone. We are no longer a pack, and a lone wolf cannot survive – the difference is, a wolf knows that, but a human desperately tries to fight it. But he shall soon learn, the wolf is wiser than he.

The noise is deafening. The lies are blinding. The hate is stifling. But, how do we escape the cycle when the “alpha” is the one leading us to our death? Unlike a wolf, he is leading from the front, not caring about the sick, the weak, the young – those who need his help and guidance the most. No, he is using them as bait. Drawing out the predators, presenting his offerings, and hoping it pleases them enough to for them to welcome him into their pack – but he won’t be satisfied until he is king.

Every day brings new upheaval, new crimes agains humanity that we can’t stop because they are ordered by our “supreme ruler.” Power hungry and ruthless, he is like an avalanche. Swallowing everything up in his wake, suffocating them so they can’t move. Can’t breathe. And, most importantly, can’t speak. Those who know the truth are muzzled. Those who dare defy him are restrained. This is not someone trying to save the country – this is a man who wants to rule the world and sees ignorant people as his stepping stones, crushing them as he goes but making them believe it’s for their own good. We have seen this movie, and it doesn’t end well.

With innocent people being ripped from their families and shipped away or killed; innocent countries getting threatened; and allies feeling alienated and betrayed; and with no one willing to speak up for fear of feeling his wrath – how can I relax? How do I know who he is going to decide he hates next? Women? Blondes? Germans? Scandinavians? Local governments? Okay, probably not – but who knows? And how do I sleep at night knowing that friends, neighbors, and loved ones are being treated inhumanely? People I don’t know, but somehow care for deeply because I know they are being treated unfairly.

It hurts. It is disheartening. And it feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. It isn’t. I have no obligation to help or even to care. But seeing how human beings are getting treated is making my heart so incredibly heavy. We aren’t treating each other like fellow humans anymore, we are treating each other like a means to an end. Like punching bags. Like cattle. Like things. And made to feel like it’s okay because that is the example we see in our leader.

I am sad and defeated. My own city is turning on each other. Facebook, what was originally intended as a connection point for college students, that then turned into how we found long-lost friends and kept up with distant relatives – is now a battle ground. The world is a war zone, and we don’t know where the grenades are, because they are being thrown by trusted friends, neighbors, mentors, and leaders. 

Remember the golden rule? Not many people do. Or, if they do remember it, they obviously want to be treated like cheats and liars, like the scum of the Earth, like they don’t matter. 

Every hear “variety is the spice of life”? Well, that spice is setting the world on fire because, God forbid you dare to think differently than someone else.

We are forgetting who we are. We are forgetting what makes us human (spoiler, it’s not our opposable thumbs). We are forgetting our compassion. We are forgetting that we are human. We are forgetting that we are intelligent, talented, unique, and wonderful. We are forgetting that we are all sons and daughters; many are moms, dads, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We are forgetting we aren’t the predator. We are forgetting we are a pack.

My challenge to you is this: remember humanity and compassion. Go back to simpler times, quiet the noise, and try to find the truth, the good. Build the village you were always told that it takes to get through life. Judge less, accept more; and let people live their own lives. They don’t have to look like you, think like you, work like you, or live like you. You wouldn’t want someone else’s religion or ideals or morals or ways of life pushed on you – so why are you doing it to others (PS remember the golden rule?)? Be kind – I promise you, it’s not that hard.

Remember that you don’t need stimulation ALL the time; scroll less, read more. Remember to sit with your own thoughts, to process things, to let the chaos subside and the peace sink in. Remember to fiercely love and protect those around you, your pack. Remember to drown out the voices – even your own – that tell you you’re not good enough or you’re not doing enough or your voice doesn’t matter. Remember you are not a pawn and you are definitely not a thing. Remember that fear drives hate and love drives peace.

Remember to be kind. Do good. Find the beauty. And drive the peace.