We are a Bunch of Bratty School Kids

My facebook blew up with all sorts of emotions yesterday. It was a battleground of hate and anger, excitement and haughtiness. People taunting each other, people laughing at their loss of friends and finding it funny to hurt others feelings and be rude. I felt like I was  watching a bunch of kids at a school yard argue over who was king of the castle. “No you can’t be our friend because you don’t agree with us!” “You can’t be in this club!” “I’m not going to your party because I disagree with you!” “I’m no longer your best friend I have a new best friend.”

I saw people deduce themselves to bratty schoolyard children and felt disheartened on so many levels. There was very little pure respect and compassion for others, that I witnessed. It was just so hateful, even if you were happy with Gay Marriage being legalized. No one could see past the passion of their beliefs to see what was going on.

 It was like now we all have to fill out a checklist of things we agree with or disagree with to be friends. Don’t agree with me? Well then, I’m done with you. It brought me back to when I was in 4th grade and wanted to play with a group of girls but I was a Backstreet Boys fan and they were Nsync fan and was told I couldn’t play with them unless I agreed that Nsync was the better band. It was silly and dumb and I knew it then but I still was sad because I liked those girls and no one else in my class liked Backstreet Boys. So I played alone that day. Ya that’s me, always stickin to my guns! 🙂 It wasn’t that big of a deal but that’s what I saw yesterday. Lines drawn, battles beginning and us really not gaingin any ground on either side although some thought they had.

Yesterday wasn’t a victory in my eyes simply because of how we treated each other. Our true colors showed, and it wasn’t a pretty picture.

I started to think about one of my favorite movies Remember the Titans where Coach Boone drags the boys out of bed at 3 AM and takes them on a run and ends up at a place with graves scattered around them. He stops and says, “Anybody know what this place is? This is Gettysburg. This is where they fought the Battle of Gettysburg. Fifty thousand men died right here on this field, fightin’ the same fight that we’re still fightin’ amongst ourselves today.”

Then he says something that although was about race, I think directly correlates to the way we were all acting yesterday on social media..

“You listen. And you take a lesson from the dead. If we don’t come together, right now, on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed — just like they were.

I don’t care if you like each other or not. But you will respect each other.

And maybe — I don’t know — maybe we’ll learn to play this game like men.”

” 

Folks, we are always going to disagree about something.

Whether or not it is something with the magnitude of Gay Marriage or not is irrelevant in my eyes. We need to learn to respect each other. If you don’t agree with someone, fine. But be kind. If they dont’ agree with you fine..but you can still be kind. If you have something unkind to say and can’t say anythign else, walk away or take a time out. Just because we are all adults doesn’t mean like we are acting the way adults should.

Grow up. Realize this is no way to treat each other. Let’s play this game like men..let’s treat one another with human decency and realize that in this life it’s not about making everyone agree with us and be like us, it’s learning to love each other regardless of anything at all.

This world would be a better place if we could all just get that through our heads. If not, I’m afraid we will destroy each other. For what? Because we are different.

Related Post: Friends can Disagree