We All Lose

The tenor of this presidential campaign cycle has become tiresome.  Social media has raised the intensity, ferocity, and intimacy of the attacks made by both candidates against the other.  Sound bytes are edited to elevate bias in both directions.  The focus s is more a marketing coup than a presidential contest. Honestly,  I don't think I can watch and listen to this until November.  I am disgusted.

As a teacher, I look into the faces of our future each day. How do I explain  this exhibition to my students?

"Well kids, I know we spend lots of time in school teaching you about the ills of  bullying your classmates and inappropriate use of social media...BUT, what adults do is really different.  We HAVE to do that stuff!"

"Really?",  the students ask.  Yeah, no.

This is embarrassing.  It is a mess.  Trying to manage the emotional responses of the voting populace through social media is not only unseemly, it is frightening.  Last night, at dinner with friends. I polled the wait staff regarding their favorite candidate.  The barkeep wants the independent, Johnson, while others were swayed toward Trump.  Clinton is very unpopular...at least at Scotty's Brewpub.

What is consistent among those I polled is the strength of  their emotional response.  Politics has always been a tender subject, but as our candidates deride one another in their quest for the White House, we are all affected.  No matter who wins.  We all lose.

Building a Wall of Love

The title seems idealistic...even to me. Yet, no other stance seems plausible.  We cannot become like "them".  Whoever "they" are.... in a given moment.  Perpetuating fear, anger, and pain will only create more of the same.  To be clear, I am not suggesting that we are not and will not feel these emotions.  I am and I do, and I am certain that you are and that you do.   We are human.

I am suggesting, however, that we cannot let fear, anger, and pain drive us.  Even now.  Especially now.  We cannot build walls that are cemented with these emotions.  These types of walls will only degrade us and those who stand on the other side of them.  They will weather and crumble, as they are not constituted of a material that will unite and bond us to one another.

Love is the most durable essence.  It is difficult to describe it. But, we each know it when we encounter it or offer it.

I do not believe this is an #LGBTQ issue.  Many of you may disagree.  I believe this issue is far broader and deeper.  #Terrorism has touched people of all colors and types. We have not been "singled out".  We are simply the latest fatality.

Over the coming days and weeks, we will grieve for #orlando.  We will mourn the lives that have been lost and will seek to comfort those who remain.  Those left behind must begin the arduous task of recovering from the brutality that has touched their families and their community.

From afar, we can continue to solve this global crisis by standing together in love.  The greatest leaders of human change have taken this path.  Let's continue their work of building a wall comprised of love. Ultimately, it is the only element that can truly transform our world.