My Struggle
If I said I was extremely liberal that would not even scratch the surface. I live in the beautiful state of Tennessee. On election night you can count on seeing this state turn red on the map. I wish that wasn’t true but I would be completely bewildered should that not turn out to be the fact. I am surrounded by folks that will vote based on a bunch of rhetoric and do not know the first thing about the policies of the candidates. Most of these folks live paycheck to paycheck but they would still vote for a man who will continue the exploitation of people with little money to benefit the wealthiest.
I have been watching the Facebook tally of friends and family go up on giving Romney the thumbs up. I would never delete family members but I would be lying if I said I didn’t use that list to unfriend a few folks. My reasoning on the matter is that if it were the 60’s and we were fighting segregation I wouldn’t want to be friends with folks on the other side. I just couldn’t support that in any way. To think a person should be denied rights based on the color of their skin is the most absurd thing I have ever heard and by that same token I don’t want to vote for a person who is against equal marriage rights or someone who would deny the rights of women.
Here’s the dilemma I face. Is turning my back on these folks who don’t think we are all equal the same as those same people wanting to deny others equal rights? I think it is. I really do. This is not lost on me. I’m not going to pretend that it is different but here is the thing. I’ve spent a few years now operating from that point of view and still trying to include these people and in the process of doing so these folks still don’t know what it feels like to be left out. The one thing I can say I’ve always be in full agreement with from the Bible is, “turn the other cheek.” I’ve always felt like if someone knocks you down and you don’t respond back in the same way you can walk away with your head held high because you have given them no ammunition to say you were just as much to blame. I would love to be like Jesus in this aspect but I’m not fighting this fight just for me. I’m fighting this fight because I think every person living should be treated as equals. Do I realize what a contradiction that is? I certainly do but I’m not going to struggle over this anymore. Until laws/people change and treat everyone as their equal I will be adopting a biblical view I am strongly against, “an eye for an eye.”
Note: I don’t want this type of thing taking up space in a place I want only peace. I really don’t intend to leave folks out. I wrote this piece merely to make a point.
I have been watching the Facebook tally of friends and family go up on giving Romney the thumbs up. I would never delete family members but I would be lying if I said I didn’t use that list to unfriend a few folks. My reasoning on the matter is that if it were the 60’s and we were fighting segregation I wouldn’t want to be friends with folks on the other side. I just couldn’t support that in any way. To think a person should be denied rights based on the color of their skin is the most absurd thing I have ever heard and by that same token I don’t want to vote for a person who is against equal marriage rights or someone who would deny the rights of women.
Here’s the dilemma I face. Is turning my back on these folks who don’t think we are all equal the same as those same people wanting to deny others equal rights? I think it is. I really do. This is not lost on me. I’m not going to pretend that it is different but here is the thing. I’ve spent a few years now operating from that point of view and still trying to include these people and in the process of doing so these folks still don’t know what it feels like to be left out. The one thing I can say I’ve always be in full agreement with from the Bible is, “turn the other cheek.” I’ve always felt like if someone knocks you down and you don’t respond back in the same way you can walk away with your head held high because you have given them no ammunition to say you were just as much to blame. I would love to be like Jesus in this aspect but I’m not fighting this fight just for me. I’m fighting this fight because I think every person living should be treated as equals. Do I realize what a contradiction that is? I certainly do but I’m not going to struggle over this anymore. Until laws/people change and treat everyone as their equal I will be adopting a biblical view I am strongly against, “an eye for an eye.”
Note: I don’t want this type of thing taking up space in a place I want only peace. I really don’t intend to leave folks out. I wrote this piece merely to make a point.
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