Play Nice in the Sandbox: UMSJ 2

I know what's wrong in the world today - everyone forgot the lessons they learned in kindergarten.  You know the ones:

• Be nice to each other
• Share things
• Don't call names
• No biting, scratching, hitting, or kicking
• Everyone can be friends with everyone else

So what happened?  How did we end up in a culture that believes that pursuit of happiness means running over everyone in your way because NO ONE's happiness is as important as yours?

The American culture is disconnected.  We don't know our neighbors as well as we used to, we don't take the time to speak to others while we travel, we simply ignore everyone but ourselves and our own needs.  This is our problem.  We move too fast, we rely on technology and not humans, and we don't stop to smell the roses.  Anything that isn't instantaneous isn't worth having.  And because of that, if someone else has a need that interferes with what we want for ourselves, we ignore the need even to the point of shitting on it.

My husband and I were talking about this the other day - people are very keen on pointing out everything you did WRONG (which interfered with one of their needs) and almost never tell you if you did something RIGHT (which would fill a need for you).  Complaints are fielded every day in both our areas of employment, but rarely compliments.  Really, people, how hard is it to tell someone you appreciate what they do?  If someone does something nice, how hard is it to say "Thank you"?  How hard is it to say "Excuse me," or "Nice shirt," or  "That color looks great on you."

In this time of fighting over who is more right for our country (everyone is wrong, really), I have a lot of thoughts.  We can NEVER have a government based in religion because that leads to persecution of everyone else - come on, it happens everywhere.  ENOUGH with saying this is a Christian nation!!  I'm a Christian and this is deeply offensive to me.  I don't want my church and my government combined at all!!  Faith is personal.  Who cares if you believe in Allah, Krishna, Jehovah, or God or nothing at all?  Really, who cares?  Are you a decent human being?  Do you take care of the people around you?  In the end, that's all that matters.

And this whole fight over basic human rights?  We all have the right to be happy, it says that right in our constitution.  "Pursuit of happiness" - it's right there.  Does it say that everyone's pursuit of happiness has to be the same??  Does it state that if you are gay, black, Jewish, or something else then you don't have the right to be happy?  Come on.  Get off your high horse and realize that if you don't like gay marriage, DON'T HAVE ONE!  Two men getting married has no effect on my relationship with my husband - it doesn't ruin traditional marriage.  And traditions are mostly ridiculous anyway - lots of them need to be broken.  Love your partner, love each other.  Jesus taught us that - why is it so hard for a lot of Christians to understand?

Someone wrote a letter to the editor lately about how the bible is very clear on marriage, that gay marriage is wrong.  Well, it also says you need to stone your children if they mouth off, you can't eat shellfish (lobster, anyone?) and you can't wear mixed fabrics.  So unless you're only wearing natural wool, you avoid shrimp, and you've stoned your children for talking back, Shut Up.  Let he who is without sin throw the first stone and, trust me, we've all sinned.  Don't even pretend that your horse is higher than mine.

It's all about the love.  All about the appreciation and the need to belong.  In the end, that's where it all resides.  If we could all play in the sandbox together without throwing sand, dumping over others for their differences, and realizing that we can all work on the same sand castle to make it FAR more awesome than it would be with just a few of us, the world would be a better place.  We should celebrate and revel in differences, discuss our opinions, and create a world that's good for EVERYONE not just a select few.  Let's look at science - small isolated groups die.  They inbreed, they lose their genetic diversity, and they become susceptible to disease, birth defects, and eventual destruction.  Is that what America wants for itself?

Take care of each other.  It takes a village - not just to take care of children, but to take care of all of us.  Our isolated culture is damaging us.  A lot of our problems stem from the fact that we are no longer connected with others physically.  The internet and your phone don't count.

So for today, please take a moment to tell someone who helps you as part of their job how awesome they are.  Tell someone in the grocery store you like their shirt (even if you don't - it still goes a long way).  Pay for the person behind you in line at the drive through - it feels good.  If you think you can handle it, get off the internet and turn off your cell phone for an hour at least!