I am finally back at my keyboard
after a long hiatus and maternity leave. Truth be told, I have tried to begin
writing again several times. There is certainly fodder everywhere we look,
especially with this election cycle and events throughout the world. Every time
I would think about it, though, I was drained. Drained, because what could I
possibly say that would add anything to the already electrified and volatile
conversations permeating cyberspace. It is mostly cyberspace, after all. People
are less daring in real life, though that boundary is beginning to fade this
year as well. What could I possibly have to say that would be worth putting
down my baby and engaging in that world?
As I was leaving the grocery
store last weekend, a thought came across my mind that finally warmed up these
old fingertips to click away. All this venom we see in this election cycle, the
unrest in the world, it isn’t causing us to become less caring, more brash. No.
Rather, it is because we have begun
to expect apathy and cruelty that this behavior is becoming more evident in
what was before “polite” society.
A little aside: I was checking
out with my groceries, and the man bagging my items had a developmental disability. The other cashiers were laughing with him and
engaging him in “normal” conversation. My first thought was how refreshing it
was to see that kind of kindness. As I walked out, I became a little angry with
myself though. Why should that be “refreshing” at all? Isn’t that what I would
expect as a normal behavior? Is it really anything so extraordinary?
Certainly we should show and
express gratitude for people’s kindness and generosity, because that is the
right thing to do. It seems, though, if you are like me, that we’ve begun to
show surprising gratitude because we find it to be a novelty rather than the
norm. I see it throughout my social media feeds – articles highlighting and
praising those who are kind to people with disabilities, to refugees, to
immigrants, to the abused, to the marginalized. They are absolutely to be
celebrated, but I can’t help but think the reason we are so enamored with these
stories is that we are being fed discontent and malice on a regular basis. Our
souls rejoice with stories of kindness because we are inundated with images and
a narrative that suggests that the opposite is the nature of the world.
This is not the world I want my
children to know. I want them to expect kindness and see cruelty as the
aberration. Sadly, I know that I have to prepare them to face meanness, to
expect the best but be prepared for the worst. Maybe that expectation is the
first step, though. Expect the best. Expect better of one another. Call each
other to a higher standard of behavior, of community, of love and care. It’s
not about sanitizing the world with a false nicety. Rather, maybe, just maybe,
we can imbue in the hearts of our families, our children, our friends, a desire
to call forth what is the best in one another so we can change the norm. That
change has to start in me. I have to be kind, to expect kindness as the norm
and encourage it – at home, at work, in the community, even when I am sleep
deprived and hungry! Far greater than random acts of kindness, we need to start
a very intentional revolution of kindness.
It isn’t going to be easy. There
is a lot out there that makes me want to throw in the towel, to rage instead of
love. Sarcasm is second nature to me, and I abhor saccharin sentiment. I will
need help and reminders of my own convictions. I do believe that together, we
can do this, and we must.
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I'd love to hear your thoughts! Rest assured I do read each and every word, but please forgive me if I don't get back to you right away. The toddler tugging on my leg and the one year old pulling my hair may have seized control of my typing abilities. Blessings on your day!