Mark 12:31
31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Okay, I am not going to be giving a lecture on the Bible or trying to convert anyone here, actually quite the opposite. But first, let me talk about this wonderful glass of whiskey I had tonight. I don’t know if it was subconsciously or just because I have not tried it in a while, but I picked Angel’s Envy for this evening’s pour. It is a truly nice bourbon of “divine inspiration” that is aged in the traditional charred American Oak barrel but finished in port barrels, giving it subtle hints of bitter chocolate and maple. But, what seems to be more interesting with this choice is what was on my mind for this evening’s thinking and drinking. I am through with posting anything political, after all, the chaos and hate that has spread through this country following the election, I am done. So, maybe by picking this particular bottle I was thinking of a more Heavenly and altruistic need to write tonight. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why there is all this hate in the world, let alone this country. It seems as though people are so much more divided than ever before – over politics, religion, race, you name it. Now, I am not saying that I have always been above this kind of behavior, Lord knows I am not perfect. But, it seems to me that if people put as much energy into trying to understand the differences among us, rather than trying to promote division, hate, and ignorance, in some cases, that we as the human race would be much better off. My father was, not going to lie, a bit racist on occasion and truly a product of his time. I made a conscious effort to try and understand how people are different and not see that as a weakness, but rather what makes us unique and more interesting. I have been fortunate, working in the nursing profession, to have worked with many different cultures, races, and religions, and I have always found it fascinating to have the opportunity to understand what each person is about. It still baffles me that people cannot coexist, but maybe that is just me looking at the world through a more optimistic view. There are people today that spend more time complaining about things they think cannot be changed, rather than put any effort into trying to make a positive change. So, your candidate did not win, you did not get the job you applied for over someone else, you don’t make as much money as someone else… These are all facts of life that a good number of people see as an impetus to improve themselves or their situation rather than run out into the streets and protest, or worse yet to incite violence. When did we all come to a point where our own personal opinions mattered more than the next person? Where people get their facts from social media and then use it to bully, berate or spew hatred. How many times in your day do you look a total stranger in the eye and say,”Hello”? We are so locked into our own little worlds that we fail to see all the amazing people and things going on around us. It is one of my sincerest wishes that the racial tensions in this country can come to an end, and everyone can see that we are all a part of this country and necessary for it to flourish. Instead of raising a fist or, even worse a gun, to one another we can truly listen and talk to one another and see if there may be some common ground that we can start from and build upon. Well, the angels are starting to speak, telling me it is time to go to sleep. Maybe I will dream of a world of which I have written about, a better world where the best of each person shines through.