"All that evil needs to succeed is for good people
to stand by and do nothing."
I feel terrified that evil is succeeding, but I don't know what I can do to stop it. I want a better world for my grandchildren. They deserve a better world. When they grow up and learn about this moment in history, what will they think? What will I tell them when they ask why didn't anyone do anything?
When I was young and learned about the Holocaust, that's the question I asked. Why didn't anyone do anything? How could such atrocities happen? How could people be so cruel? I didn't understand how one evil man convinced so many people to follow and obey. I couldn't comprehend how a person can commit such evil acts against another human being.
The increasing level of cruelty that we have been experiencing in this country and around the world feels very much like a repeat of history. Once again, I'm struggling to comprehend how a person can commit such atrocities against another human being. Are some people simply born evil or is it a learned behavior? There's no doubt that there is something fundamentally wrong with a person who can murder someone in cold blood. What I find even more heinous and dangerous are the people who can stand by and watch and feel nothing.
I cannot even put into words how utterly disgusted I am with the current state of our country. I cannot fathom how anyone with a shred of decency can condone the cruel and evil actions of this administration. I chalked up Trump's first term to people not knowing how bad he would be. The fact that he was re-elected makes no sense to me at all. Clearly, people have lost their ever-loving minds, or more likely, their humanity. Even more likely, it was rigged. That's the only logical explanation.
How do we engage in the world and not let it consume us? I don't want to stand by and do nothing, but I also don't want to add to the fuel that is keeping this dumpster fire burning. It's heartbreaking to see people turning against each other all in the name of politics. While we are distracted fighting with each other, evil is succeeding.
In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." How do we remind each other of that AND hold each other accountable for our actions? Hate is such a heavy burden to carry but how do we love someone who has opposing views that are so clearly cruel?
I was hoping that by the time I got to this point in my rant that I would have some clear path forward but I don't. Tonight, what I feel is angry, sad, and honestly disappointed. I see people on Facebook and Instagram posting make up tutorials and I want to scream at them "The world is on fire who the hell cares about your stupid makeup!" I don't, obviously... I acknowledge the fact that not everyone is in a place in their life where they can take an active role in politics.
I know that when I was in the trenches, working full-time, raising children, struggling financially and trying to hold together a dysfunctional marriage the last thing I was thinking about was politics. It took every ounce of energy I had just to get through the day. Today, I have space in my life to be more aware and engaged in the world around me.
So, you young parents stay focused on the important work of raising kind, compassionate, loving children. That's the love that will drive out the hate. We will need them to heal this broken world when they grow up. In the meantime, those of us who can will take up the fight until you are done raising babies and can stand up and fight alongside us.
I won't pretend that I have any answers. I don't know how to solve the huge problems that plague our world. I have no desire to spew some yoga babble about how everything is perfect, and we need to trust in the universe that everything is as it should be. Sorry... That's BS.
Yes, we can trust in the universe, AND we can take action for the greater good. Durga didn't sit on her lion and chant mantras while the demon terrorized the three worlds. She drew her sword and leaped into action.
Now, someone please tell me what to do. I'm calling my representatives, sending postcards, boycotting many corporations that support this administration, giving to charity, and helping whenever the opportunity presents itself. What else can I be doing? What are you, good people, doing to ensure that evil doesn't succeed?
