How
many times must it be said? How many times must people be “shocked,” “outraged,”
“violated,” and “mistreated?” How many times must history repeat itself before
human beings begin acting like… human- freaking- beings?
I don’t
understand. I truly don’t, and I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I know
everything or pretend like I have an answer for every single scenario life
throws our way, because I don’t… nobody does. But one thing I will say is sometimes
the simplest solutions are the best solutions:
DON’T ABUSE POWER!!!
DON’T HARM OTHERS!!!
BE NICE TO ONE ANOTHER!!!
I’ve
been told I’m too “idealistic.” I’ve been told I am “naïve” to the reality of
the world. I’ve been told I have “no clue” what I’m talking about. But do you
know what I say? I’d rather believe in love and honor and kindness than give up
on it all together. I’d rather maintain hope in humanity than succumb to
cynicism and negativity and say “screw it; just watch it burn!” I’d rather teach
my children to be generous and caring than to instill fear and instruct them to
distrust everyone they meet. I’d rather continue to search for solutions than
say, “this is how it will always be.”
Despite
the beliefs of some, I don’t ignore reality. I live in a very real world every
single day. I live in a developing country where multiple ISIS cells have been discovered
and immobilized in the past few months and where Syrian and Cameroonian refugees
haunt the streets looking for peace and solace. I’ve taught in schools where
kids were being abused and mistreated by the people who were supposed to love
them, and I’ve taught in another school where I was threatened on a daily basis. I’ve been
brought to heartbreaking tears at the news that one of my most precious
students was murdered and left on the side of the road. I’ve lost my beautiful
mother to a disgusting disease, and I almost died during child birth.
I get
reality.
But in
those same places, and in those same schools, and in those desperate moments, I
witnessed things far more powerful. In the school where my student was murdered,
I witnessed 32 teenagers, of their own accord, form a prayer circle and speak
words of hope and comfort when my mother was dying of cancer. Many of those same kids took to the streets to participate in a civil protest against the violence of gang life. In the school
where fights and threats ran rampant, I felt the embrace of an impoverished
young woman when she received her acceptance letter to college. Here in Fes,
Morocco, I was blessed to see my students deliver food and clothes to people in
need and to see them now prepare to help children stricken with terminal illness. When I
lost my hero, I saw an entire community show up at her funeral to honor her and
the joy she brought to so many lives. And when I was bleeding to death on the
operating table, I felt her love and spirit surround me when I looked into the
eyes of my baby girl.
Because
here’s the deal. Life can be ugly. It can be painful. It can be horrific. People
can be cruel and unjust and just plain evil, but there’s more to it than that.
There has to be. Beauty surrounds us everywhere we go. There is inspiration and
joy in every child’s face. There is a new hope each and every morning we get to
wake up. We just have to look for it. Believe in it. Choose to see it. So… yes,
I am “idealistic.” I have an idea of
what the world could and can be. My ideas may seem naïve to some, but that
doesn’t bother me. I’ve seen too much and lived too much to deny the obvious reality
of goodness in people and goodness in the world. Look around… really look, and I think you’ll see it
too. So, I’ll say it again
If you are in a position of power, don’t abuse it.
Even if you can, don’t bring harm to others.
And for crying out loud, BE NICE!
God bless!
