July 25th 2020

We are months into the pandemic lockdown and we have seen weeks of peaceful protests, as well as riots and lootings, destruction of government and public property. With seemingly no end in sight, and neither side (at least the loudest and most obnoxious in those groups) are giving an inch. It is definitely a sad time to be an American right now.

I empathize and sympathize with those who are rightfully angry about actions of those who are supposed to protect us and shield innocents from harm, not instigate it. Though I also must condemn the senseless violence coming from the oppressed. Though in my opinion, it is not that every BLM supporter is out to burn and pillage America, they are just angry and frightened, again rightly so, I believe bad actors are out there trying to direct all that anger into a destructive power, taking that real fear and anger and in a way preying on those people to use their anger for their agenda.

Maybe I’m wrong on that, I’ve been wrong before, I’m sure I will be wrong again at some point. Trying not to be too biased in my assessments here, but you know which way I tend to lean so take it with a grain of salt.

The most frightening thing to me, not protests being hijacked, not the Corona (not to downplay it’s seriousness), not people angry about wearing a mask, or those that just want to get back to normal. No, none of that frightens me as much as what all these things are exacerbating right now, the downright hatred we have for one another.

The only way I can tell a difference between someone on the extreme left and someone on the extreme right, is who they want to punch, or who they are ok with getting punched, or worse. They are the same person, just spewing shit from different ends.

I’m not sure if anyone has looked at Germany’s or Yugoslavia’s history, but this is scary similar to how national socialism rose in both counties. Now don’t think I am just blaming this path we are taking, on just one side. I see blind hatred and senseless violence coming from both sides.
“Protesters in the road? Run em over!”

“Waving an American flag? Sucker punch em and burn that shit!”

It’s heartbreaking, and even more so watching people I grew up with jump on either bandwagon. Good people, who are rightfully angry and rightfully concerned about things going on, blindly following one another into a cycle of hatred and violence I’m not sure we will be able to stop. It’s heartbreaking to see quite literally genocide levels of hatred in America.

I own a piece of Nazi paraphernalia, a pin from Nazi Germany. I don’t own it to look at the Nazis with fond remembrance, nor because I think it in some way heritage. I own it and look at it to remind myself how easy it was to turn an entire country against each other. How easy it was to turn neighbor against neighbor, families against families. So much hatred towards one another, that one group had absolutely no qualms marching the other group to their death.

I don’t know how we move forward here, and I don’t know who is the “national socialists/nazis” in our current scenario. I see it on both sides, the willingness to commit violence on someone who does not share in your narrow, simplistic view of the world.

But I do know that loving one another can help, it can be the start, the first step in our long road to recovery. Not sure what the point of this was. Maybe just vent some feelings out. Maybe some small part of me thinks I can do something. But I leave here with some of my favorite quotes somewhat regarding all I have said.

“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him”

                                ~Martin Luther King Jr

“Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t carry just a piece of cloth to symbolize his belief in racial equality; he carried the American flag”

~ A quote by Adrian Cronauer and I think a pretty spot on description of what the flag means to most people. Yes we have had many troubles and some pretty bad history, but it was in the name of the flag, we grew better. The American flag stands for equality and opportunity. It is OUR job to make sure this country lives up to those standards.

“It’s not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that count’s”

                                ~Mother Teresa

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them”

                                ~Mother Teresa

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies”

                                ~Nelson Mandela

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.

                                ~Nelson Mandela

“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”

                                ~Nelson Mandela

And my all time favorite and probably most apt for the situation we are in right now.

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind”

                                ~Mahatma Gandhi

Be safe, love one another.