Neighbors

So ... I went and had myself a little rant this evening.

Ranting is something I typically reserve for the Hubs, but tonight ... Well, just too much has been said.

I enjoy politics and I love the spirit of debating ideas and thoughts. I love these debates when they are done in the spirit of growth and cooperation and an intent for the greater good.

But I don't enjoy when your political or personal views give way to hate.

There are things that I don't understand about this world. 

I don't understand how it is that I can live next door to a someone who practices different religious beliefs (or no beliefs at all) than mine; and while I might disagree with you - my neighbor - I don't harbor in my heart an intent to do you harm.

On the global scale, I don't understand building political success on the backs of hate-speech and fear-mongering. I don't understand going to war with neighbors over religious beliefs.

I am the first to admit that many of the issues of today's world are beyond my pay-grade. Syria is one of those issues. Israel and Palestine are one of those issues. And so many other issues that in my mind simply require people to sit down together and act like, well, human beings.

So, you see, I don't understand why I have read, over and over, in my FaceBook newsfeed over the past few days, rants that filled with hate for the Syrian people - as if their lives are not worth our concern. Worth our care.

As I said, I don't believe that this a simple "issue"  (gosh, what a little word to encompass the troubles of the world, no?) ... And I will be the first to admit, again, that I don't begin to understand the nuances and implications politically and strategically (it is, I'm told, a world-wide playing field) if the U.S. should enter Syria. So to be clear, I'm not even offering an opinion on this issue.

But I am offering an opinion on the things I see from some of my friends (people I love, people I like, people I respect ... For the most part).

So in fairness, here's how my little rant went:

Friends ... The following comments, made by me, do not require a response from you. None of you. But I'm going to say it because I'm about to explode, and let's be honest - the world is a better place without me vomiting my thoughts upon it. So lest I explode ...

On Syria: I don't even know what I think about this issue of U.S. intervention or no intervention ... But what I do know is that one life or 1,500 lives or 50,000 lives - it doesn't matter:

One life is not worth more than another.

An American life is not worth more by virtue of our citizenship.
A life is not worth more because of skin color - light, dark, freckled, fair or any shade in between.
A life is not worth more because of who you love (or don't love).
A life is not worth more because you believe in one God or many gods or no god.

What I do know is that life is a gift and the golden rule (as I was taught) is "to love your neighbor as yourself " ... There aren't any exceptions for loving your neighbor any more or less based on their location, race or beliefs.

I'm not cleaning out my Facebook friends because I love y'all and I care about your families and your jobs and your ridiculous rants about football teams of which you are not a member ... But don't think to involve me your hate-talk.

And I won't limit or censor what people may (or may not) have to say in response to this ... But I won't engage in hatefulness.

There are too many beautiful things about the people of this world to be bogged down and sucked into hatefulness.

Go meet a stranger and be a helper.

See y'all later.