I struggle with cynicism. I have a condition that my friend Tara Livesay refers to as an “Overdeveloped Sense of Justice.” This isn’t all bad. It’s great for empathy. It leads me to care for others and take action to make things right. But it can also mean that I can easily devolve into feelings of frustration or despair when things are unjust. The tendency to fire up the outrage machine is not always ideal.
But this month, I’ve just about had it. And no amount of meditation or “positive reframing” is gonna help. Because the world is SERIOUSLY PISSING ME OFF right now.
First, we have the fact that Donald Trump is the presidential nominee for the Republican party. I don’t feel like I should have to say much about this one that hasn’t already been said, but it has to be one of the biggest “weep for humanity” moments in my lifetime. And not just that the guy is a racist blowhard douche. There are lots of those running around. But the fact that a large contingency of the general public want him to be our leader? I just . . . I don’t get it.
Then there is the auction for the gun George Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin. It went for $250,000. Apparently there is a hot market for guns that have successfully killed young black men. What a comfort, as a mom to two of them, to know that there are people gleefully bidding on a weapon that took the life of a young boy. Utterly disgusting.
And then there is the collective freak-out over allowing transgender students to use the bathroom of their identified gender . . . a law that will effect very few individuals and that has been in place in California for over three years with no drama at all. Unfortunately, a number of Christians seem to have taken up this cause, apparently having forgotten a few key verses in the Bible about loving others and defending the least of these. I articulated my thoughts on this matter here, but have been so dismayed by the response of Christians. In particular, the behavior of Christians at this school board meeting in South Carolina, in which a group began singing Jesus Loves Me in order to silence an advocate for transgender youth, literally turned my stomach.
Alright, good people. Help me out of this funk. Tell me about something good in this world. Or at least tell me this crap is abhorrent to you, too.
But this month, I’ve just about had it. And no amount of meditation or “positive reframing” is gonna help. Because the world is SERIOUSLY PISSING ME OFF right now.
First, we have the fact that Donald Trump is the presidential nominee for the Republican party. I don’t feel like I should have to say much about this one that hasn’t already been said, but it has to be one of the biggest “weep for humanity” moments in my lifetime. And not just that the guy is a racist blowhard douche. There are lots of those running around. But the fact that a large contingency of the general public want him to be our leader? I just . . . I don’t get it.
Then there is the auction for the gun George Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin. It went for $250,000. Apparently there is a hot market for guns that have successfully killed young black men. What a comfort, as a mom to two of them, to know that there are people gleefully bidding on a weapon that took the life of a young boy. Utterly disgusting.
And then there is the collective freak-out over allowing transgender students to use the bathroom of their identified gender . . . a law that will effect very few individuals and that has been in place in California for over three years with no drama at all. Unfortunately, a number of Christians seem to have taken up this cause, apparently having forgotten a few key verses in the Bible about loving others and defending the least of these. I articulated my thoughts on this matter here, but have been so dismayed by the response of Christians. In particular, the behavior of Christians at this school board meeting in South Carolina, in which a group began singing Jesus Loves Me in order to silence an advocate for transgender youth, literally turned my stomach.
Alright, good people. Help me out of this funk. Tell me about something good in this world. Or at least tell me this crap is abhorrent to you, too.
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