When Passions Get the Better of Us

Sometimes, in the gloom of darkness we see a little ray of light.  We move toward it, trying to find the source, until we finally realize that it is coming from a familiar place…a place we know quite well…a place we love.

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The troubling times we live in are spreading a dark cloud over nearly every part of our lives.  With COVID we have to be constantly aware of our distance from others, wear our masks, and wonder if anyone we come in contact with has been exposed, and doesn’t even know it. 

Those, like me, who grew up hugging others as a natural part of life, who were taught that a handshake is as binding as a legal contract, find that we are no longer allowed to do either.

We constantly hear of the global pandemic.  Every day the news tells of the exponentially growing death toll of a disease we had never even heard of just eight short months ago.

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The constant protests of the Black Lives Matter movement claiming that the police are bad, raise tensions among people who have always “backed the blue”.  We wonder if our black friends and coworkers think we are racists.  White people search for ways to prove that they are not racist.  Do we really have “white privilege?”  At the same time, our black brothers and sisters are experiencing varying levels of frustration and pain.  Most want necessary changes that would only make life better for all of us.  Meanwhile, some black “leaders” demand extreme concessions by the nation and its citizens for evils committed in the past, by and against people long gone, and others that still occur all too frequently.

Does our nation owe anyone more than a chance?  Does our nation actually give everyone a chance, regardless of race, creed, religion, or political belief?

We hear talk of the end of life, of our country, of our freedoms.

Depression in our country seems to have hit an all-time high.

So, what can we do?

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Yesterday, Annie and I were talking to our son, Bobby, over the phone.  We talked about what is going on in his life and what is happening in ours.  He mentioned something that he posted to Facebook in a fit of anger.  No, it wasn’t about race…or COVID 19 either, for that matter.  It was something entirely different.  My wife and I understood 100% why our son had been angry, but we also begged him to remove the post.  Now-a-days, entire lives can be ruined by something said in a fit of pique and posted to social media…whether those opinions are right or not.

He did remove it.  Then he wrote something else, and posted that.

I read it to make sure it was something acceptable.

It blew my mind.  I just had to share it with my readers.

With his permission, here it is:

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“These days it’s easy for our passions to get the better of us. We say things out of anger, out of stress, out of anxiety that we otherwise would not normally say. The gentle amongst us become savage as they defy injustice while the timid scramble for power and strength they’ve never had. The skies have been shadowed by the smoke of burning cities so that many have forgotten what it means to walk in the sun. There are times when joy and peace feel like fleeting memories beneath the oppressive weight of hardship. The world burns as the innocent weep…

“But…within our hearts a flickering ember remains. Though cold indifference makes it flutter, it clings to life with steadfast determination. This hopeful glow…lingers no matter how hard the world seeks to snuff it out. It grows hotter as it yearns for brighter days yet to come. That ember of hope, a pinprick in the night, is a faith that brighter days, where the cry of wolves are replaced by the laughter of children. We each must fan that ember until it is a raging fire that eclipses our anger. Cling to those who share in our hope and feed the inferno with love and understanding. Nurture that hope with empathy and understanding until one day…one day…we will all stand in the light of new dawn…and smile.

“‘Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.’ – Hebrews 10:23”

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As one who defies the negative feelings that surround us these days, I believe I know what Bobby meant.  That indomitable spirit Annie and I have tried to instill in our kids, and which Bobby’s words so aptly illustrate, is a part of us, rooted deeply in our souls.

We can still smile at each other, even through our COVID masks.  We can give each other “air high-fives”.  We can talk to friends about the things we will do together “when this is all over.”  We can enjoy the time that today’s restrictions free-up for us to spend with family…the people we love the most and used to always say we wished we could spend more time with.

I believe that’s what Bobby meant, but I want to carry it a step further and tell you what else we can do, while keeping that positive attitude.

We can listen.

Listen to the people who kneel for the National Anthem.  Listen to the people who are offended by those kneeling before the flag.  Listen to the people who say, “Black Lives Matter”…because they are right…at least to some extent.  Listen to the people who say that black and white lives both matter.  Everybody is right about some things and everybody is wrong about some things and we owe it to each other to try to understand each other.  Our humanity demands us to change our minds about the things we are wrong about, but allows us to hang on to the things we believe from the depths of our hearts.

But how do we know the difference?

Listen.  Just shut up and listen.

I’m not saying they’ll listen back, but who knows, maybe they will.

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No matter what, as Bobby would say, hold your head up and keep moving forward.  After all, winners never quit, and quitters never win.

Just saying

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