Living near Whiteman AFB, I see
stealth bombers and fighter jets on a regular basis. I was walking my dog a few
weeks ago and a pair of fighter jets flew overhead. It made me pause and think
about how I had no fear of bombs raining down from the sky. The truth is I feel
lucky to live in a country where we don’t worry about our enemies dropping bombs
on our homes.
Lately, I’ve seen more hate than
I’ve ever seen in my life. It is true that during the Vietnam War protesters
were on the news every night taking out their frustration on those drafted into
fighting. The death and destruction of war invaded our homes. During that
turbulent era, reporters reported the news during a thirty-minute or one-hour
broadcast, then they were finished until the next day. Now, we have twenty-four
hour politically biased TV pseudo-news, the Internet, and social media.
Constant exposure whips some folks into a lather.
The truth is hate doesn’t solve
anything; it just increases the problems. If you aren’t part of the solution,
you may well be part of the problem. Do you really love your political
candidate more than your own family? If you do, I find you to be a scary person
with messed up loyalties. Do you really think you can change someone’s mind by
throwing a hissy fit every time he disagrees with you? Tantrums might be cute
in a toddler, but ridiculous in an adult.
The truth is that it’s easier to
believe lies, innuendoes, and gossip than to seek the truth. Lies destroy
lives. This is especially true in politics. Baseless rumors dressed up as memes
on social media are shared with thousands or millions without regard to the
human being targeted. Apparently, sharing this crap is more important than how
offensive and reprehensible it is to family and friends.
The truth is life isn’t fair. Never
has been, never will be. Bad things happen to good people and bad people
prosper. Jim was a good man and, if the world had been fair, his life would
have never been cut short by dementia. If life were really fair, lightning
bolts would strike down truly evil people who have gone beyond redemption.
The truth is cruelty should not be
tolerated. Cruel people are ugly people from the inside out. When we support
cruelty, or give it a wink, we are responsible for our own actions or reactions.
Selfishness damages the hearts of people who love you. Lately, I’ve witnessed
feuding among family members causing pain for their mother, unkind “dramatic”
actions spewing anger at a friend, and treating a person with dementia as if he
is no longer human and can’t be hurt.
The truth is we are all human
regardless of religion, nationality, race, sexual orientation, political party,
or economic status. Each classification has good, bad, and indifferent people.
There is an ultimate danger in lumping everyone with a common denominator under
a single umbrella of hate or dehumanization. On the other hand, you can’t put
your trust in someone for the simple reason he falls within one of those
categories. Bad people do bad things without regard to your preconceived
opinion. Good people come from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds.
The truth is love hurts. We like to
think that love equates happiness, but just as high as the highs, the lows are
not only low, they can be rock bottom. Love can be a weapon, a bargaining chip,
or the most unselfish act in the world. How you use love defines you as a human
being. I’ve discovered throughout my life that either you love someone or you
don’t. Infatuation is not love. Lust is not love. Admiration is not love.
Saying “I love you” is not love.
You don’t have to look far to see
what love is: 1 Corinthians
13:4-8. Love is patient, love is kind. It
does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others,
it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
At least with the people we love,
each of us should strive to become less judgmental when they believe differently
than we do. The truth is this would be a scary world, indeed, if we all thought
alike. Thoughtful and respectful differences are a good thing. We need to
become truth seekers.
Copyright © July 2016 by L.S.
Fisher
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