Tag Archives: peace

peace

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I am sharing one of my favorite photos I ever took. And I had to have taken it 10 or 12 years ago at this point.

My message today is we need peace. I sound like a Hallmark card. I don’t want to sound like a Hallmark card. But it happens to be the truth.

Tomorrow is election day. We are a country steeped in anger and vitriol. I am so sick of it that I am writing about it…again.

I posted something today that had happened to a friend of mine. He is somebody who is a true patriot it has nothing to do with anything other than his personal belief system. And he’s a really good man. He drives a flag painted car. He has since 9/11.

Anyway last night he went to pick up his elderly parent dinner from a place called Giovanni’s in Elverson. When he was getting out of his car to get his order, this woman materialized seemingly out of nowhere and started yelling at him was he a “Trumpette”. OK mind you no Trump flag, no Trump sign, no Trump hat, no Trump shirt. My friends only crime was going to pick up his takeout order and he has a flag painted car.

I mean can we be real here? Donald Trump doesn’t have a trademark on the American flag, that’s OUR flag.

In any event, this woman was practically spitting, screaming angry. And my friend did nothing except he pulled up in his car to pick up a take-out food order. This woman actually shoved my friend more than once. I mean who does that? What have we devolved into when people think it’s OK to just shove perfect strangers on the street picking up takeout food?

And it also blows my mind for someone to do that in a time when people in the hospitality industry are closing businesses left and right. I mean just today we learned that one of my favorite places in Philadelphia is going dark. The City Tavern is closing it’s doors.

Quite predictably some flipped out at me for sharing this. Like it was designed to be “sprung” the day before Election Day. Umm no, it happened because people all over are acting every day like life is a giant reality TV show and are being asshats. And that’s not just some political problem, it is more like a stupid human tricks problem. And it doesn’t matter whose politics are what, a situation like this should not have happened. End of story. And think of that poor restaurant trying to stay in business having to deal with this right?

I am literally fearful of tomorrow which is Election Day. And why I am fearful is there are so many extremes in temperament out there. And sadly I think it’s on both sides.

I just want people to get out and vote and I want them to be able to do it peacefully. If someone tries to intimidate you or harass you or threaten you, tomorrow is the day you call the police.

But that being said, both political parties have a duty to the American people to just cut the crap so everybody gets through election day safely.

However, I still lay a lot of this anger and vitriol right at the feet of the Tweeter in Chief, President COVID.

We as Americans have the ability to stop this. United we stand, divided we fall. We have to stop. We deserve a country that is not full of anger and riots and racism and economically is on the precipice of disaster because Washington DC couldn’t get their act together and fight a global pandemic.

No matter what happens tomorrow, we need to come together as Americans. I’m tired of the crap of you can’t talk to them they are Democrats or you can’t talk to those people because they are Republicans. We are Americans.

As Americans we are a nation born of immigrants who fled hostile nations. Our founding fathers fought, bled, and died for our rights. And then it happened again to rid the country of things like slavery. But now we face harder times. And political extremism is polarizing and destroying this country every day. It needs to stop. We need moderation.

Change starts with us. The most powerful right you have as an American is the right to cast your vote. Cast your vote the way your conscience dictates. Not what anyone says to you. Don’t just vote one way or the other because someone else told you how to vote.

And above all else, pray for peace. And do your part for peace. We need peace. I feel we are on the brink of a modern Civil War, and we don’t want to go there.

Be safe out there and thanks for stopping by.

slightly disgusted with mankind and we need to come together and find peace

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This is just one of my photos. It has absolutely nothing to do with the post.

I am beginning to understand why people move to cabins at the tops of mountains and don’t talk to people. We are living in very strange and angry times and I really wish people would just hit the pause button or take a freaking breath sometimes.

I saw pictures (media coverage) this weekend of people who went to Washington DC. They went to party with Trump on the White House lawn for 4th of July. Now no one can dispute going to Washington DC on the Fourth of July is a very American patriotic thing, the thing that disturbed me is all the coverage I saw of this event no one really was wearing masks. No one was social distancing. And it looked more like a political rally than a celebration of the nation’s birthday. That in and of itself was very distasteful to me. Right or wrong, to me it was very much a Marie Antoinette let them eat cake pre-French revolution kind of a thing.

But now I can’t help but wonder who in those crowds will get COVID-19 or bring it home and give it to somebody else? Because I don’t think they’re going to self quarantine do you?

I had another friend tell me again yet today about how uncomfortable their neighbors make them because all they’ve done essentially is party since coronavirus broke out. And I’m not trying to be a wet blanket, everyone likes to get together with their friends and family. But we don’t live in normal times and there are things we have to pay attention to. The proof is in the pudding as it were because there are spikes occurring all over the country of this pandemic virus.

I mean how embarrassing is it that European countries do not want to let an American in across their borders right now because of the virus and because of how our country is treating the Coronavirus?

Then there is the incredible tension because of well, racism in this country. We’ve had protests, incredibly violent protests at times from coast to coast. We are long overdue in truly addressing this heinous issue.

No one can have a conversation about anything and every conversation is combative and too many of them take place online and not face-to-face. Again, because of the times we live in having newly emerged from stay at home orders. We are truly living in the era of nasty keyboard idiots.

And another new thing that keeps happening. For every community where you say “Hate Has No Home Here“, “ Black Lives Matter“, or other similar signs there are also signs once again supporting local police departments. The impetus of course is to remind people that not everyone in law-enforcement is a bad person. And that’s true. I think, however, all of these different kinds of signs are stirring up people positively and negatively and I have to wonder can we take our protest signs down for a while across-the-board in general? And learn to co-exist peacefully?

And then there is the economy. There are a lot of people out of work. There are a lot of small businesses who are suffering greatly and will never open their doors again in some cases. There are people who also have gotten their salaries cut. I think with everything that has been going on since 2020 started is just creating so much tension that no one knows how to process it.

We need a do-over on 2020.

Global pandemic, unstable economy, and racism. They say bad things come in threes let’s hope this country is done now for a while, right?

Here’s a novel idea: maybe we should all just stop fighting one and other for five minutes and try to shut our mouths and open our ears and listen to what other people are saying. Maybe we should be open to hearing the points of view of others. Maybe we should all try to be better people. Maybe we should pay it forward with something positive however we can.

Part of the problem today again is no one can have a conversation any longer. No one can have a civil discussion about anything. You never know when you open your mouth if you’re going to say the right thing or the wrong thing, so I find myself for me being unusually quiet. Until now.

The impetus for this post, is all the stupid stuff I see going on in community Facebook groups. We’re all supposed to be neighbors, yet all I see is people who want to tear other people down or just starting fights. I would like to think that therapy is cheaper and perhaps anger management as well.

We live in an angry, hateful world right now. And we have to do our part to make it better to enact positive change. But change comes with trying to be tolerant of other people, walking away from stupid online arguments. I think life is hard enough right now at times, so hard, we need to just pause.

Once again, as I’ve said before, I think a lot of the fuel to the fire of negativity in this country comes from Washington DC. They only have one goal: benefiting themselves.

Our forefathers fought and bled and died and suffered so that all of us could be free. What would they think of us today? Would they be shaking their heads in disgust?

I don’t have the answers. I wish someone had the answers. But it’s too damn hot and I think people have to start to take a breath so we can come together as a nation.

Peace people. We need peace. We need love.

all lives matter.

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Protests in Philadelphia yesterday July 7th courtesy of NBC 10 Philadelphia video still

Protests in Philadelphia yesterday July 7th courtesy of NBC 10 Philadelphia video still

That was the scene yesterday in Philadelphia. And in Dallas, Texas last evening as a similar peaceful protest was wrapping up, a man out to “kill cops” shot up a protest, killing 5 police officers at last count, and wounding countless others and probably innocent bystanders.

Last night when we were getting ready for bed, the news started to break on 6 ABC the channel we were watching.  I thought there must be some mistake and switched to CNN.

Surely this wasn’t real? But it was, and it was happening in Dallas.

These protests that have sprung up again were in response to a couple of inexplicable police shootings, one of which was in Minnesota.  The other one was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their names were Philando Castile and Alton Sterling.  They were shot dead like they were rabid animals by those sworn to protect and serve.

I can’t get my head wrapped around that.  I have friends married to law enforcement professionals and soon I will have a cousin by marriage who is also in law enforcement.  Like everything else, bad apples ruin the whole barrel. The people I know who bleed blue protect and serve equally. They have honor.

Then there is the ever inflammatory racial aspect to all of this.

I have friends who are black, bi-racial, and in bi-racial marriages.  I don’t see the color of their skin, I see them for what they are: my friends. For me it is that simple. That is how we see each other. Why is it so ugly in this country? Have our forefathers and civic leaders throughout the centuries fought for naught?

Law enforcement agencies across the country need to address the problems in their midst. If problems did not exist, innocents would not be shot.

And then there is what happened in Dallas. An angry man’s reaction to what is happening over and over in this country repeatedly and in an unrelenting manner.  Those police officers weren’t some characters in a video game.  They were brave human beings who are among the legions who step out where we live every single darn day to protect and serve. And they were protecting the rights of the peaceful black lives matter protesters. When you play the video above you think it is a war zone. Only it isn’t. It is a U.S. city in “peace time”.

Only what is so damn peaceful about it? Is that what we are? A country of people who just shoot each other? Is that o.k. that this is the image we present to the rest of the world?

Don’t start in on me about the Constitutional right to bear arms.  I am not disputing those rights but I honestly feel not everyone should be able to carry guns. Not all people are mentally or emotionally fit to do so, and these are the individuals who are shooting up police officers, innocent adults and CHILDREN.  No one in realty is safe from this nonsense.

Everyone is at risk in this country until we stop, breathe, and come together as a nation. As in all of us. A concentrated effort towards peace.

The political talking heads are jumping on both sides of this issue, Trump and Clinton having the highest profiles doing so.  I wish they would both STFU. This is not about raising their political profiles, this is about the people who keep dying. We are under siege from random acts of international terrorism and our own citizenry.

It’s true, this issue is bigger than all of us and if we do not come together this country is going to be in as bad a position as during the Civil War. Dallas is a city in shock and total lock down now. The suspected shooter is now dead. He was in the Army reserves at one time. He was young and obviously incredibly disturbed.

I understand the need for protests, but if all they do is whip people in violent frenzies where they go and shoot up innocent people, what is pray tell the point of peaceful protests?

Philadelphia has seen hundreds of protesters the past couple of days. A lot of the people are from the A.M.E. Church’s bicentennial visitors and celebrators. More will come to down during the DNC which immediately follows the A.M.E. bicentennial. The DNC is July 25th to 28th in Philadelphia.  What protests will we be in store for then?

I will say flat out I am tired of the protests. I understand them but sometimes I feel like shouting at the TV “all live matter”.  Look at Orlando too. We can’t forget that.  Another recent massacre of U.S. Citizens on U.S. soil.

All lives do matter.  It does not matter the race, creed, color, or sexual orientation.  We are Americans and all of our lives matter. all-lives-matter-sign-ap-640x480

ALL LIVES MATTER.  We need to stop feeding the hate. And a lot of that hate is fueled by both political parties. We are in a Presidential election year so they will grab anything they can and hang on for attention.  It’s not about them.

Please. Stop the hate. Stop the shootings. Stop the protests.  Maybe we will never all like each other, but seriously why can’t we lay down our arms and hateful, hurtful words and try?

Haven’t enough people died from coast to coast?

Dallas needs to be the end of it.

Thanks for allowing me the vent.  I find this all so upsetting and heartbreaking and unnecessary.

Peace. We need national peace.

Thanks for stopping by.

peace+calm+heart+2013