You know, as an American living in Australia, I have to say that the
majority of Australians are pretty decent folks. Like most Americans,
most of you have fairly good manners, know how to be polite in public,
and have some semblance of common sense and decency. Like most
Americans, most of you just wanna live your lives, and be good people.
And, like some Americans, there's those few Australians who aren't any
of those things I just listed. And, in the same way I have problems with those Americans- I will have problems with those Australians.
Because this has nothing to do with what country we were born in- it
has to do with the fundamental basics of what it means to be a good
human being, and I will always, ALWAYS call them out on their bullshit
when I see it happening.
Life is, like many things, a two lane street- cars (and free speech)
drive both ways, but I'm the truck that you most definitely don't want
to play chicken with.
#BeJudgemental
In the light of the continuing shit show that is drawing out all the
neo-nazis racist shitheads, I just wanted to share some thoughts I have
been mulling over for a while, and which has finally come to a head with
the shooting in Christchurch.
I grew up with people telling me
not to be judgemental. I spent the majority of my adult life trying not
to be judgemental, because of some underlying desire to not offend and
make people dislike me. But you know what? Fuck that.
I AM JUDGEMENTAL AS FUCK.
Read it again. Say it. Shout it a thousand times. Because I am unapologetically judgemental- and you should be too.
Why? Because judgement- your judgement, your actual ability to judge
something, be it a person or situation or turn of phrase- is what you
use to figure out what is right and wrong in this world.
So if
that means I'm a "bad person" because I judge a neo-nazi to be a racist
pig deserving of every bad thing that comes his way, then hell- I am
guilty as charged! I'll take whatever label you want to stick to me and
wave it like a national flag.
Because no decent human being with a
functioning sense of judgement can look at what has been going on and
say "I'm okay with this."
No ifs, no ands, no buts about it. No
excuses. No bullshit. I will call you out like a fucking criminal at a
public execution. And if that means I spend a a little extra money on
eggs to throw at you, then it's money well spent.
To all you
people out there supporting nazi trash, hear this- I declare war on you.
I will name your names, I will decry your filth, and I will tear you
down.
Because I AM judgemental as fuck- and your end is coming.
#BeJudgemental
I do not, and cannot, believe that anyone could think technology should just stop advancing because we already have what we need to live full lives.
Let me explain why this is not an acceptable viewpoint:
-As long as coal and oil remain our fuel sources, we will need technology to somehow recover our land and provide our power needs, if at all possible, when all of that runs out.
-As long as we are polluting rivers and oceans with toxic run off, illegal dumping and micro plastics, we will need technology to somehow recover our water sources, if at all possible, if we are to survive.
-As long as there is hunger, poverty, disease or any other ill that befalls any human being anywhere on this planet, a life of fulfillment is impossible.
-As long as there is crumbling infrastructure, schools with no heating, poor educational standards, corporate greed, dangerous or illegal work standards and employment ethics, sexual harassment in the workplace, religious violence, the victimization of men, women and children by all forms of abuse, a crippled health care system, or anything else that leaves people broken and without hope, a life of fulfillment is impossible.
As long as we remain on the track we're on now, we will not have a home to live this fantasy life of fulfillment. Our only hope of survival might be to leave the world all together- assuming we even make it that far. That alone is driven by the advance of technology.
So tell me- whose "fulfillment", whose "full life" is it that are we really talking about here?
I am an incredibly emotional person.
I consider myself a passionate person. I'm only 30 years old, so it's not like I'm speaking from the mighty throne of the privilege of age, but I do know for a fact that I care more about others and about the state of the world in general now than I did ten years ago. In fact, my emotions were what originally led me to start this blog, The Soul Of Being Human.
I am so very human. In my head every day love, kindness and compassion are at war with hate, anger and disgust. While this is probably just the result of the brain's never ending series of binary checks and balances, the little yes/no arguments it has with itself over the information it takes in, processes and stores, I can tell you this:
It is so exhausting.
I call it the emotional roller coaster. I'm sure many others do too. But it's not a fun roller coaster, because I actually love those. This roller coaster wears me out, and leaves me feeling tired and heart sick at the end of the day. The roller coaster makes me want to disengage, run away, hide, do everything I can to avoid another climb and trough, which I think is the average human thing to want.
Why am I on this roller coaster? Or, to put it in the words of some- why am I being such an oversensitive little bitch?
Because I'm tired of watching people being so ugly to each other.
That's it. It's not a Big Important Reason that comes attached to a 10 page essay and a power point presentation. Well, I suppose it's important to me, certainly, but not everyone has the same reasoning.
Just yesterday, in a chatroom for my favorite annual event (NaNoWriMo- check it out), I watched a young woman and aspiring writer/author get bullied, ostracized, and eventually driven off for discussing virtually the same topics that I had just been talking about the day before. The only difference being, I got sympathy and sweetness for my frustrations, and she didn't, because the other group members had decided that for "reasons", they didn't like her.
Hold up a minute and think about this. This is an event that is supposed to draw people together to help them work their way towards a mutual goal, to build up the confidence of writers everywhere, and generally provide moral and emotional support for professional and non-professional writers alike- and they drove this person away. This actually happened. In a chat room. I was there. I witnessed it.
And the worst part? The worst part is that I didn't stand up nearly as tall or speak as loudly in her defense as I should have. So, on top of feeling like a terrible person for not standing up and telling them all very clearly that they were out of line, I am now also angry and frustrated on behalf of that poor young woman, because that kind of behavior is just. not. on.
To the young woman who no longer feels comfortable being around the nano chat, please accept my apologies for not defending you strongly enough. I feel ashamed by my failing. I see you, my friend, and I love you with all my heart.
To the people who made her feel unwanted and sad, I see you too. I know who you are. I don't know why you said the things you did, or what reasoning you used to justify your casual callousness towards another vulnerable human being. My feelings towards you are much more mixed. I am angry with you. I am disappointed in you, and disappointed that you stooped to such lows. I am frustrated that even though we're all old enough to know better, bullying like this still occurs, as if the world is just one big school yard.
I was starting to see you as friends, who accepted me. Perhaps your behavior was partly my failing as well- by not being more vocal about it, I was in a sense enabling you to behave the way you did, instead of providing a peer guided check to the balance. I feel ashamed by my failing. I should have done more to correct your behavior, or at the very least, made you understand that what you were doing was w.r.o.n.g. and that I could see it and didn't like it.
I am not a perfect human being. I'm the first to admit that. I swear too much, I'm rude to people on the internet who piss me off, I find my mother in law maddeningly annoying, and I am often left thinking that humanity is destined to probably die from its own collective stupidity. Many people probably think I'm an annoying bitch too. But I do know one thing:
We can be better than that. We can ALL be better than that. We should expect EVERYONE to be better than that.
Why? Because I'm tired of watching people being so ugly to each other. Does there have to be another reason?
So I'm going to start, today, in changing the way I behave, and maybe in making an example of myself, I can help influence the behavior of others. While I can't do anything to right the wrongs others have already done (to me or anyone else), I can stand up and tell them that it is wrong.
DON'T be a bully. DON'T be cruel. DON'T be a dick. Before you say something hurtful or dismissive of someone who has done nothing more than ask for your kindness and sensitivity, think before you speak or type something that will damage them further.
It's that simple.
I entreat you, as one human being to another: Please stand with me, and help me show the world what we can do when we show compassion and kindness.
We see you, fellow human beings. And we love you.
