Too many people woke up today to the unending nightmare that someone gunned down their child not days ago, and in this country, weeks, years and decades. I can't even imagine what that kind of existence must feel like. I don't think there's a word to describe what it it's like to have your soul ripped apart like that. Unfortunately we as a country (at least those of us who still operate with humanity) are losing energy for optimism or hope, constantly investing it all in grieving and anguish. And there's no solace for these victims' families in knowing we live in a country where nothing is ever done to make it right or better in any meaningful way.
I abhor people who say "we're the best country in the world." No we're not, we haven't been for a very long time. And even in the time we worshipped that delusion, one of the things we were actually best at was hiding our skeletons in our closets about the evils of our own society. We're not even good at that anymore; the rest of the world is either laughing at or mourning for us.
I despise people who say "let's put politics aside, and keep the peace." I can't think of a cringier, more dismissive or reductive stamp on an intrinsic aspect of someone's character. This isn't peace. This is a plague, and one worse than the apocalypse we just endured across the planet, because it's one we have the power to do something about. You're goddamn right I want to know your politics. I want to know what you stand for, what helps you sleep at night, your biases and preconceptions, what the stakes of your choices are, because I absolutely want to know if at the core of your belief system, money and power are worth the lives of innocents. I want to know if you feign common threads with me, a casual tourist in my life because it serves you somehow, or if you actually believe we can make this world a better place through the subtleties and affect of our interaction.
I'm starting to see that we've had enough. I don't feel as alone in that anger and sadness anymore. The kind that makes me feel okay to be willing to make enemies if these are the stakes, because that's what happens when you draw a line. That's what I do for a living, and I'm getting damn good at it.
Earth Shattering Revelation: Draw the line.
Current Music: Sarah McLachlan - "Prayer to Saint Francis"
