Hashtag #wearebetterthanthis

It's been a long week. My brain is full, work has been hectic, and we had torrential downpours on Tuesday that soaked me to the bone. (Apparently, the 10th rainiest day in New York history) As usual, the highlight of my week is the few short evening hours stolen away with the love I now call home, who is currently up to her eyeballs in papers, projects, and end of semester work of her own. How I treasure those moments!

In a somewhat joking manner this week, I began hashtagging. I say jokingly, because I usually find them quite annoying, but as I read the latest nonsense that escaped Sarah Palin's lips, I said aloud, "we are so much better than this!" After I hashtagged #wearebetterthanthis, I couldn't stop thinking about this fact. We, as United States of Americans (a pet peeve, I'll admit, because you do know we are not the only ones on this continent, right?), and as humans, in general, are so much better than what we often see portrayed in the spotlights.

We can be compassionate. I see small glimpses of it every day, but we've somehow forgotten that we truly are interconnected. Most major religions have some form of The Golden Rule, and I don't think they placed it in their sacred texts as filler text! This bully-ish, spiteful side of Americans that I see at times, makes me incredibly sad; surely we've not become that type of nation.

We can be accepting. I have always loved The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus that is engraved upon our Statue of Liberty. (Give me your tired, your poor....) Our diversity is one of our greatest attributes. I'd rather be a nation that is known for its acceptance of others than to be a nation that is known for its irrational fear of the brown people.

We can be loving. Oddly enough, the thought that came to mind is the greatest of these is love. Loving others, especially those with whom we disagree, can be difficult and it does take work. Let's take the time required to actually get to know people with differing cultures, viewpoints, and religions. It takes a greater strength, as an individual and as a nation, to choose love over fear or hate, the latter being the game of the small-minded.

We all have the capacity for greater things, but it is seriously time for us to grow up. Remember the myriad of things we hold in common and quit focusing solely on our differences. Let's live from the heart of humanity, and see where that takes us for awhile.

Namaste