Skip to main content

When you encounter a totally different reality

John and I arrived early for an appointment (for those of you that know my husband, you know that this is not infrequent! The story of arriving three hours early for a flight to Phoenix from Midway still gets repeated and laughed about when the 'kids' get together). We found a seat and the waiting room began to fill.

We had chosen seats away from the TV where NBC's Today Show was playing, so we couldn't see what was on the screen.

Another couple sat before the TV and provided commentary and as the time progressed provided a glimpse into a total different 'reality'.

"Oh I can't even stand to look at him. He's so evil"

"What is wrong with his hair?"

"This administration will do down in history as the worst ever."

"The federal government is taking over the states. There's going to be a civil war, just you wait."

"They just let all those illegal aliens in and then they're going to give them weapons to take over."

And on it went. The first two comments, I thought for sure were about the former President and the next about his administration. But they were instead about the current President and his administration. Two totally different realities. The comments got more vitriolic and far from the reality I see and hear and read about. They were upset that the state of Texas went to all the effort of putting up razor wire to keep those 'illegal aliens' out of 'our country' only to have the federal government cut it down. And they were convinced that all those aliens were going to get weapons to help the feds fight in the civil war.

It was alarming to hear and it took all my self-control not to engage in a conversation. But snippets have remained with me and continue to alarm me. This couple lives here in West Michigan but it may as well be another country. I know that this dichotomy exists, I've experienced some of it within my family, but I didn't realize just how divided we have become. And I don't know how to close the precipice that exists.

Since this is a blog about living positively, however, I cannot end on that dire note. Instead, I will put this thought out there. When we encounter situations like this, respond if possible, but respond with an open heart. The worst thing to do is to go on the attack, which might feel like the only thing to do in the moment. I have to remind myself that there is a totally different diet of information being fed and consumed out there - it's what some people know as 'reality'. 



And I pray that the divide can be healed. Because we know that Jesus is represented by a dove and that a dove is a symbol for peace.

Comments

  1. We walk amongst them, everyday, and it scares me to death.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

When a New Year begins with only whispers of the previous year

  I spent the last 45 days of 2024 suffering with a wee bit of the plague.  It didn't completely stop me, but it came close. I only briefly came out of my isolation to participate in the Lakeshore Community Chorus' holiday concert, to take care of the world's most adorable bairn and then celebrate his first birthday, to attend Christmas Eve worship, to see the bio-pic of Bob Dylan, celebrate NYE with the previously mentioned adorable grandson and his parents and to have short visits with my daughter from a different mother/father and her adorable daughter. I don't think I missed any 'events'. After each of these 'events' I then went back to my cocoon (the recliner in the living room, with my blankie and water bottle). There I could cough, sneeze and ache in relative comfort with my tissues, Mucinex and Advil nearby. I also discovered the comfort of an occasional hot toddy. When there were no signs of improvement, I went to my doctor and she prescribed an...

When it snows and blows

  be careful what you wish/pray for. On Christmas Eve, I was lamenting the lack of snow. "When it's winter, I'd rather there was snow on the ground," I mused, "instead of this ugly grayness." Well, there's snow on the ground and plenty of it. In fact, I estimate about 250 inches (though we all know how bad I am at math) and there's more coming down and even more in the forecast. Looking out, it's kind of pretty. Like a snow globe. As a four-wheeler, I feel though almost trapped inside that snow globe because traversing the snow is difficult and messy in a wheelchair. Imagine pushing a stroller through a sandy beach and you have an inkling about the challenges of propelling my chair through deep snow. And sometimes, getting the snow off the wheels of the chair is a frustrating task. I towel off the wheels, but they are still a little wet and/or dirty. Imagine coming in from the snow, wiping your boots on a mat but then walking in to the house with...

When being negative is positive and other wonky 'things' in the time of Covid

The world is upside down and back ass-ward. Know what I mean? I was chatting with a cousin the other day and her potential exposure to the corona virus. I wrote, "I'll say prayers for negative results for all. Don't like negativity but these days negative is a positive." Back ass-ward. Remember when we first went in to shut-down mode in mid-March? We were told that it was to flatten the curve of hospital admissions so that our ICU's didn't run out of capacity and to ease the virus' spread. It felt then like we were in this together, all of us were going to help beat this virus and stay home. (Aside from the run on toilet paper!) We were committed, or so it seemed, and our closets were going to be cleaned, our junk drawers were going to be a thing of the past, our garages/basements/and other yucky places were going to gleam. We were going to read "War and Peace" or "Hamilton" or other weighty tomes that we'd always wanted to read. We...