Tomorrow

 Tomorrow, as is every 4 years in inauguration day. There is a lot of tension and fear and anger and joy. Some people are happy about the transition of powers, others not so much. 4 years ago I remember people outside of the Trump tower and in many major cities wailing, crying and holding signs saying " Not my President." Tomorrow... will be much of the same, just on the other side of the wall. 

I think it is important, that we show compassion to both sides. Both have fears, spoken or not, both have anger and resentment, spoken or not. And both want a country that is protecting and hearing what they are asking for and saying and find value in. BOTH. 

For a number of reasons, I do not like the thought of left leaning platforms or right leaning platforms...because they cluster lump us in with same sided thinkers. So we are always and only with people who act and talk and think just like us. Yes men. This is not good. Not in  public square. We no longer take the time to hear the other side, to know the other side, to think kindly of people on the other side. We label them as enemies, idiots or worse. 

The country is split about 50/50 right now on a number of things. I think that is good! It shows we are a nation of free thinkers and have been able to live in balance...not such much harmony...but can live with completely different ideology...till law making comes. Which is to be expected. However, we do not live as if half of our neighbors think different. We only talk to those who eat and talk and do the same. Social Media is DESTROYING us, our neighborhoods, our families. You can say anything to anyone on this thing. Its easy to be brave sitting in your jammies, feeling free of reprecussion. It would be different if we had to say it face to face. So we watch shows and news that broadcast to our own thinking and keep in our homes and our safe spaces and label one another.

We set this wheel turning and now we have a mess. It is so good to not only know what your neighbor thinks, but to share a meal with them. To see their human side, to ask for recipes from someone who had a different political sign in their yard. When we take away the soul of one another, and see their lives as not worth as much as yours, simply because they think different, we have put ourselves in a VERY bad spot. We create more pockets then ever of fear and hate and prejudice. We are making stereotyping the abosolute norm and are willing to try and convict people with a death sentence without knowing a thing about them. "They look democrat, republican, Christian, Muslim...whatever." 

We have made a mess. WE...not they...WE. But...we can fix it. Yes even tomorrow. There are those who were scared the last 4 years, celebrating for their guy, there were those who were not scared, but now are very concerned about the next 4 years for themselves. We may all be filtiering a million different emotions, thoughts, pains and victories tomorrow- but together we can have compasssion and kindness for where each other are at. Here is the crazy thing, you don't have to agree with someone to like them! and you don't have to want to squish like a bug the guy on the other side. 

This is not a plea for a utopian society, this is a lament, for what has become. May we teach kindess to our children...hold a door for someone, buy a coffee for the next guy, shovel your neighbors driveway, do something, anything, because it has to be far better than what we are doing right now.