If the 2012 election showed me anything, it showed me this. We are in a people in great pain.
Yes, pain.
Our unresolved issues of yester year are being thrust to the front in some sort of unproductive grasp to feel powerful and to take our voices back. When I see posts where people are be-rating one another, I get sick to my stomach. When I see people take jabs or power plays with others, I get so sad.
We have no have idea how to communicate.
We have no idea how use our voices effectively. We have no idea who we are.
Please don't take this the wrong way because I absolutely love freedom of speech. I love when people are passionate about what they believe. I love when people express why they think what they think. I even love when people who disagree with me post their opinions--as long as it's in a tasteful manner. And, in addition, I love when people I agree with post their opinions--as long as it's in a tasteful manner.
We all have room to have a voice. This is America, God Bless it.
Our propensity toward Civil War, though, is creeping its way into reality as we fight over our own pain. Social media has created fake armies with unexperienced generals spouting off orders in cyberspace. A true leader can express his/her opinion without demeaning or judging the other side. A true leader CAN disagree and can express emotion at the same time, but a leader also does this out of a heart of innocence and not out of a heart of revenge.
I've watched countless posts go through my status feed where people have shown their insecurity by posting statuses just to get a rise out of someone else. I've also seen posts where people say something controversial just because they think that a firestorm makes them valid somehow. I've seen relationships lost because of pain-inflated loss of character. This makes me scared for us.
I realize that this topic of "politics" is nothing new (and it's not just politics, it's how in we engage in life). Elections have been going on for hundreds of years now, but I think our unresolved pain has escalated. In my personal experience, the only time I've felt the need to shout at someone is if I feel like I'm not being listened to. The fact that I am not being listened to hurts my feelings because it seems to say that my voice isn't valid. When I let that lie burrow it's way into my heart, I end up reacting out of it. I then either stop using my voice all together (because I think no one cares) or I try to get my power back by using my voice loudly, sarcastically, harshly, etc. Well, then, an election comes up. Or the issue of abortion comes up. Or the issue of gay marriage....and low and behold, I have an opinion. And when I'm still believing that burrowed lie, I'm going to use that voice that no one seemed to care about to get my point across. And while I'm at it, I'm going to put down the people who disagree with me because I'm in so much unresolved pain from my hurt feelings twenty years ago that I need someone else to feel that, too. Misery loves company. I hurt someone else because I am hurting inside. It's a vicious cycle. It's the cycle of abuse. Open any psychology book.
Does anyone else see this happening?
This is so ugly.
This is such childish behavior.
We are acting like illegitimate children.
God loves us. ALL of us. We belong to Him. Our voices were created out of love, and each of us are valid. When we stoop to this type of behavior, we desecrate ourselves. We desecrate our neighbor.
It doesn't matter at this point whether you are gay or straight, Muslim or Christian, Republican or Democrat; we aren't going to agree on this right now. I care most about how we can achieve our best success as a community. Do I have thoughts or opinions? Absolutely. But my "right" to an opinion is second in line to my hope for restoration.
We have to either learn how to communicate with one another, and by doing so, choose to be on the same team, or we need to prepare for a Civil War. It's our choice.
We are destroying ourselves. And our kids are watching.
At this point, the only place I can find Hope is in silence. When all the other voices are wiped away, I can listen for the One Voice who gives Life. And my earnest desire is only to release real Life. I refuse to enter or proliferate the cycle of abuse.
Until that Voice reverberates through my entire being, I'm just going to have to go back into the basement....again.
And that's that......
So well said, my friend!!! I was absolutely fascinated (not in a good way) at all of the posts people would put on fb. I kept thinking, and probably should have said "what would it look like if people would just stop & pray instead of posting negative things - pray for the person you are directly going to comment about (insert presidential candidate of choice), and then pray for the people you are indirectly commenting about (to get a rise out of)."
ReplyDeleteGod has given you such a sweet gift with your words, and writing. I am SO GLAD that you are writing/have written a book. I'm in awe, because I often feel like an inadequate communicator! Keep writing sweet friend!!!