The current tone of social media is static — the bomb mailings, the shooting murders at Kroger’s in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, the Pittsburgh massacre, the shooting in Tallahassee, Florida.
I have had a hard time putting the breaks on my emotions; each so difficult to speak of at this time.
My heart breaks listening to the heroic stories of world healers like Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, who died trying to help others in the Pittsburgh massacre, who was a savior to AIDS patients early in the epidemic. Barely a speed bump in the social media feed of name calling, along with the spewing of distrust, paranoia, and hate.
As a country, we look to our leaders to be peacekeepers; we look for leadership that connects not disconnects, leadership that constructs not destructs. Leaders that work to be healers.
Healing leaders like Rabbi Myers of the Tree of Life Synagogue, who has led not just his congregants, but a nation. He leads with love.
We as a country have a long history of great leadership in communities of all shapes and sizes.
We look for those peacekeeping characteristics because that is what we know.
Sadly, we are faced with navigating political escalations steeped in aggression, triggering stampedes of fearful people answering the call of hatred and lies.
It is as if we are at the zoo, expecting a bird to roar like a lion. Our current administration and its leaders and others cannot seem to tap into our Country’s most pressing humanitarian needs, at a time when we need them the most. In fact, they deliberately feed the beast that is racism and intolerance.
I cannot look for leadership in this vacuum, so I look to myself, family and friends to continue to move forward in love, making contributions to lift the issues we care about on human health, the environment, poverty, homelessness, education and the future of the next generation.
We must take great care of ourselves and each other.
It is counter-intuitive when we know things about harmful chemicals, polluted drinking water and the countless situations where policy can and does impact the future for the next generations that we not only do nothing but fight against it.
Let’s not keep knocking on the metaphoric door looking for a type of leadership that is not there.. but look to ourselves. Let’s not answer the calls that escalate hate, worry, and distrust.
Wars are profitable — especially wars of words as we see media on both sides responding to the administration’s manipulative abuse of social media.
It’s why I block them and work not to mention them.
My commitment is to peace and peacekeeping.
Part of being a peacekeeper is helping to take care of my neighbors-both near and far. Fellow-man, woman, and child suffering from fundamental issues as hunger, homelessness and harmful drinking water.
It also brings clarity to why it’s so critical to use your power to vote, as mentioned previously in last week’s post, I will be voting people over power, love over hate.
I appeal to all to understand the power in being heard -let your love and humanity be heard by voting. With policy-sound policy we can end a world of suffering. We know we can address diseases like cancer, poverty and harmful drinking water.
We all have to move forward as if our children’s lives depend on every outcome because they do.
While you are making the world better, voting is the single most impactful thing you can do.
And now more than ever love your neighbor-love all your neighbors.
First published on Medium.com