It’s a strange and difficult time here in the good old US of A.
I’m guessing that the horrifying events of this past weekend have stirred up a lot of emotions in people. Perhaps some of those emotions are pretty strong. Perhaps some folks are very angry. Perhaps some folks are a little ashamed and scared of what they thought. Hard to say.
So I’d like to ask that no matter how you are feeling, that you take a moment to think of that person you know who is “on the other side of the aisle” from you. We all have friends like that. Maybe you haven’t talked to them in a while because of it. Maybe you were thinking of cutting them off. Maybe you actually have cut them off.
But whoever that person is, I’d like you to think of that person and try to walk a mile in their shoes. Maybe try to be a bit understanding and not assume horrible motives. Take a moment to soften your heart a bit and maybe reach out to say hi. To see how they are doing. Maybe show a little solidarity in the things that bind us together. We have more in common than we often see.
I mean, we all want basically the same things — a peaceful good life and a good life for our children. That can mean different things for different people, and that’s fine. We have disagreements about how we should get there, but we all want the same basic things.
So, maybe just say a kind word, soften an edge, back off on a strong social media post, or reconsider that aggressive stance today. Walk that mile in someone else’s shoes. Remember that we are all in this together, and that we can be different and still get along.
In my experience, anger and lashing out doesn’t help much. A little kindness goes a long way.
It won’t hurt, I promise.