Christmas Spirit?

Trying to find my Christmas spirit right now...it is a bit slow in loading...I hate what our country has become, how we have allowed multimillion dollar media corporations, including so called social media, to manipulate our emotions and thoughts, creating a tribal mentality pitting human beings against each other. Never in my life have I witnessed such anger, vitriol, and hatred, absolute hatred, against other human beings, as I have witnessed over the past 12 years. Elections have become so controversial and polarized as to create huge rifts between not only Congress, but coworkers, friends, and even family take sides in some weird tribal mentality. People judge each other based on their vote—there is no longer a middle ground.

I am sick and tired of having to watch what I say, or what I agree with, for if I do not jump in the fray that is being vilified on CNN or FOX, then I must be blind or stupid or void of all common sense and compassion. When did who I vote for become the sole defining quality of a person? Why is there a ‘left’ or a ‘right?’ When did our social graces, common courtesies, etiquette, and the golden rule disappear from the landscape? When did four letter words become so commonplace in a supposedly civilized, cultured society, so much so that anyone can tell someone they have never met, except behind a keyboard, to go F*** off? How did the United States of America become so banal and vulgar? 

I am seventy years old, on the downhill slope of my time on earth, and I love this planet, God’s creation, but especially I love people, all kinds, everywhere. I do not think God only blesses America, or that we are somehow above hurting each other, but dammit haven’t we learned anything in the past 250 years? Do we really hate each other so much that we are willing to kill someone for their beliefs? We should be better than this, I tell myself, but in reality, we are not. Labels like Nazi, idiot, socialist, homophobe, misogynist, a racist, bigoted, entitled, snowflake, fraudulent, Fascist, narcissist, and others equally demoralizing flow freely from people’s keyboards and lips these days. There is no intelligent banter anymore, or lively debate where folks on opposite sides can still laugh, hug, and be friends afterwards. Americans are now pigeon-holed into some pre-determined mold as soon as they open their mouths. 

I have been fighting for three years to maintain a 25-year long friendship with someone who I thought was open minded, someone who could look beyond my age, my race, my faith, or my political leaning and still see me as someone worth loving. That ended tonight. And I am broken hearted over the loss, not just the loss of this friend, but my inability to reason with her.  

The devil is laughing his ass off right now…because he thinks he has won by pitting people against each other so they lose focus on what is important—love each other and love God. And just because I know the devil has already lost does not make all of this any easier. 

Please be kind to each other, to anyone actually, not just during this Christmas season, but every season. Merry Christmas to each and every one of you.