Love or Hate. That is the question.
There are so many things we want to say, it’s hard to know where to begin.
With the national holiday to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, maybe we could start there.
We didn’t know him, and didn’t really know much about what he was doing at the time. But he was a remarkable man. To accomplish what he did through peaceful, non-violent means, despite all the violence being perpetrated on and around him and others speaks very highly of him. It puts him into a class with Ghandi and other past non-violent leaders.
While we don’t necessarily fully agree with everything he said, he made some profound statements that can result in healing society.
One of our favorites is this: “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
Our society today somewhat reflects what it was then. But there is so much hatred. It seems more obvious in the political arena, but it exists elsewhere as well.
We have another generation which claims to be more liberal, something like the young people of the 60s and 70s represented in their time. But there is a difference between then and today. From what we’ve read, the so-called hippie groups and others of the 60s and 70s generally desired and expressed peace and love.
Today’s people express anger and hatred.
How can someone who claims to be a liberal express hate?
That seems to go against the basic philosophy of being liberal. To us, being liberal means to be accepting, understanding, open-minded, respecting other’s ideas, and allowing individual freedom for all regardless of beliefs — at least to the point of breaking established laws.
Today, being liberal seems to mean tolerance and inclusiveness only if you agree with their beliefs.
Many instances illustrate this.
So-called liberal student bodies and school officials argue against and prevent having conservative speakers present at their schools. Supposed liberal activists attack peaceful parade participants if they don’t like their political or other stance. So-called liberals assault those of different beliefs — from beatings, to theft of property, to spitting on, to making up lies about. Even nationally-elected so-called liberal politicians telling supporters to get in the faces of those who disagree is unacceptable in a civil society.
Talk about hate multiplying hate. How do these people expect their victims to react?
They are clearly not following Martin Luther King’s philosophy.
If this is the type of society that is proposed by liberals today, we don’t want to be part of such an oppressive system, and we don’t think anyone else should be forced to accept it. They are demonstrating what has been exhibited by some with the subjugation of and violence toward minorities or others they disagree with. We would like to know that we have overcome such things.
Do we really want to go from one extreme to the other, and maybe have both extremes simultaneously?
For this country to survive, whatever courses the people take it, this trend must change. Just because someone disagrees with you on some point, they are not therefore automatically a racist or a NAZI. Just because someone disagrees with you on some point, they are not therefore automatically a communist or a radical extremist.
Some say the US is facing a civil war due to what others call the great or deep divide. Like any war would be civil??? War is the most uncivil thing humans can do to humans.
If America goes that way, no one will win. It could destroy our nation. The impacts would be much worse than the civil war of the 1860s. If we don’t fall from within, such chaos would enable another country such as Russia, China, or Iran to easily step in and make things even worse.
We must work toward unity. As MLK said, that can only be done by being more loving. Expressing and acting on hate just because things don’t go the way you want is not a viable solution to a problem. It does not lead to continuity.
We must maintain our civility and freedoms, not descend into lawlessness.