Since the election ended, watching the news has become increasingly more and more painful. As I watch report after report on hate crimes, I can't help but feel sad and angry that this is happening. It's just not right.
I'm going to put this as simply as I possibly can: HARMING OTHER HUMAN BEINGS BECAUSE THEY DON'T SHARE YOUR VIEWS / ORIENTATION / RELIGION ETC. IS NOT OKAY!
Besides murder, sexual assault, and rape, very few crimes disgust me more than those committed out of hatred. Nobody has the right to hurt others because they disagree with their lifestyle or religion or because they don't like the color of someone else's skin.
This has been a problem ever since the Europeans arrived on our continent. Humans have a dark history with hate-related attacks and threats. It's a very sad, shameful stain on our country's history.
If someone doesn't like the same political party you do, that doesn't mean you have the right to insult them, threaten them, or attack them. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and their own opinions and have the right to express them. Those political views / beliefs are not worth losing a friendship or relationship and they're certainly not worth scaring someone to death. Unless you are an active lawmaker, congressman, or some other form of politician, fighting with other people over your political views is not important. Telling someone they're ignorant for voting for Clinton or that they're despicable for voting for Trump, isn't going to change anything. It's not going to make said politicians disappear and it's definitely not going to make whomever you're talking to change their political views.
Besides politics, orientation seems to be another factor in verbal or physical assaults. As much as some people dislike the LGBTQ community, attacking its members is not the way to display that dislike. You want to know how to do so? YOU DON'T. It's none of your business and everyone would be much happier if you kept your negative opinions to yourself. Whether someone's orientation conflicts with your political / religious views or not, you have no right to stick your nose where it's not wanted and doesn't belong. You also don't have the right to verbally or physically attack someone for their orientation either. If you're willing to berate and degrade someone based on who they love, that's a poor reflection on you, not them.
Speaking of beliefs, in recent weeks, religion has probably been the biggest factor in hate crimes across the country. It seems that Muslims are getting the worst attacks and threats. Look, just because someone is Muslim, that doesn't mean they're a part of ISIS or they support ISIS. The Muslim religion is actually centered around treating others with kindness and is also centered around keeping the peace in less than ideal situations. However, like all religions, there are some bad apples in the bushel. ISIS is an extremist group and to assume that everyone who shares the same general religion as they do or are just as horrific as ISIS, is a very poor and wrong assumption. Not every Muslim is part of ISIS just like how not every Christian is part of the KKK. There is absolutely no need to attack and punish every Muslim because there are some bad eggs in their religion crate.
In light of all these crimes (and with the holidays just around the corner) I implore everyone to re-evaluate what they think they know about all the groups being targeted for violence and hatred. It's time to put aside all political, racial, religious, etc. differences and to start loving one another just for being human.
The world (and our country especially) is so full of hatred and it's heartbreaking. When bad things happen to someone, we don't even bat an eye at it anymore. To hear that someone has been hurt out of hatred for what they believe in, it is commonplace nowadays. We need to combat all the violence with peace and all the hatred with love. This is important during this time full of hate because love is stronger than any other force. When we see these crimes, not just on TV but in all the places we go daily, we need to take a stand. I know it's easier said than done but we need to defend those that are getting harassed and attacked. We need to help each other despite our differences because we all share the same planet and we need to be able to coexist with one another. We need to love one another. Hatred weighs down your soul but love gives it wings.
So let's all try to break free from the chains of hatred and soar on the wings of love together.
