Yes, a Political (sort-of) Post

This round of presidential elections has me really upset. It seems that the immediacy of social media has stripped (many...but not all) Americans of their general respect for others. And I mean this for both parties.

I am a die-hard conservative. Most of my friends know this, and really, it's not a secret. I'm a gun-carrying, pro-life, fiscal conservative, strict constructionist regarding the constitution. BUT...I have friends on all levels of the political spectrum. Because diversity is an important thing. And if I only listen to people with whom I agree with 100%, how will I ever have opportunity for critical thinking?

A couple of examples, people who are on the same political side, but opposite ends of the civility spectrum.

One person, with whom I used to work, was constantly posting anti-gun sentiments on Facebook. I'm ok with that. You're entitled to your opinion, and I don't feel the need to "unfollow" my liberal friends, because I usually want to know what they think. However, it soon came to a place where every post that she wrote (about gun ownership) was full of vitriol and blanket statements. The final straw was when she said, in her own words (not a meme), that "all gun owners are ignorant assholes". And so I sent her a message and unfriended her. That is not a conversation. Because I am not ignorant (and usually not an asshole).

I have another friend who is a social liberal. She often posts thought-provoking articles that I read. Her posts, while I may not agree with them, are well thought out and usually leave room for discourse. Articles she has linked to have made me think, made me look at how we can make this world a better place. I find that she and I probably agree on the end goal, we just don't see the same path to get there. But you know what? That's ok. Disagreement with civility is OK. And beneficial.

We should be better than this as a society. Let's rise above. Let's talk. And most importantly, let's be kind.

Life as a Series of Constant Change

Arizona.

This falls under the "never-say-never" category.

While I don't have answers as to why God has brought me here, I really believe that he has. And in the meantime, I have down time. More than I want, but apparently, it's what I need.

I believe I've mentioned before that patience is not a virtue of mine. I'm totally willing to embrace change, to embrace love, to embrace newness and growth...as long as it happens quickly. Ha! Isn't that just the way we work.

It's beautiful here, in a much drier way than I'm used to. I know in a few weeks I'll be missing the rain, the trees, and the mountains. So in the interim, I'm going with the flow and waiting to see what God has for me.

And I suppose I'll have time to dedicate to writing again. It's funny, I always encourage people to express themselves artistically in whatever form appeals to them. For me, it's singing and writing. So why the reluctance to write?