In 1968, it seems, everyone was offended. There were racial tensions stirred up by deaths, feminist movements stirred up institutional resistance, war protests, school protests; black, white, latino protests, political protests and others. It was one busy year, full of violence, war, anger, fear, and disenfranchisement.
There were also victories, like the Apollo 7 and 8 (moon landing) in the same year. The United States was a formidable force in the world to accomplish space goals, all the while battling civil unrest within her borders.Like 1968, the United States is currently seeing similar derision and division. After a prolonged pandemic lockdown, there is an increase in tensions along all the same areas: political, racial, gender, sexual preference, religious preference, and the like. There is so much to be offended by, or so it seems.
The strong orbit of an election year causes many gravitational changes in our emotional states. Fear caused by the lockdowns, make us all feel like we lost control. Lost control of our freedoms, our rights to go to church, to assemble, to be together, to do what we have always done. Along with the lockdown came mass-layoffs, and an implosion of the US economy, which was doing better than any time in history. It was sudden, scary and traumatic.
Currently, as I read through the media headlines, I see patterns that are alarming. Stories of past hurts, past wrongs of our people and country, painful memories of past events where someone, of a different color, different ethnic background, different sex, different belief, etc. were hurt, beaten, or killed. This coincides with the latest stories of all the wrongs done by people during current events, like the pandemic response, riots, the police forces, the protests, and the reactions and overreaction by many to all of it. These media stories only exacerbate the emotional state of our people. They are designed, architected, created and distributed by our media to cause unrest in the minds of the masses, to tickle every emotion of fear, anxiety, worry and doubt. And it works.
Depression and suicide are on a severe rise. In fact, it’s an astronomical rise. Kids are trying to die. There is a massive increase in domestic violence, suicide attempts, assaults in public, and other violence, directly linked to the emotional state of our people because of the fear and uncertainty caused when people lose hope, patience, love, and control of their lives. It’s a massive problem. One that can be remedied.
Our people were created for a purpose.
With a reason to live, with a right to live. We are here for love. While the media pumps out story after story of wrongs committed by people, we need to learn to forgive and heal. To not be offended. When we hear of traumatic events, such as the death of George Floyd or the many people killed during the riots, we need to remember that this is not happening in our local neighborhood. Many of us have access to and know what is going on in every city in the US and the world, but have no clue who are neighbors are. We don’t know what events are happening in the people’s lives around us, unless, we heard it from the media.
Every day, there are people in your neighborhood who need you. Some can’t pay their bills, the elderly can’t get groceries or medications, some are going through painful days as the depression and hurt of today’s events fill their minds and they have nowhere to turn. If we truly want to turn our world around – it won’t be by turning on the news. It will be by turning to our neighbors and finding out how they are doing. By looking to each other to see what we can do for each other. We all have friends that fall into the categories described. Do you know how they are doing? Is there something each of us can do TODAY to help them?
The truth is, WE feel unrested, fearful, and depressed when our neighbors do. We ARE all connected. We have to help each other. To reach out to those without hope. To help those who no longer ask for it because of rejection or fear of it. To reach out and love people who are ready to end it all. To call out to the lost to help them find a new path. And to find a way out of our own feelings of pain, hurt, and darkness to be a light for others.
It is time to heal. From fear, trauma, and offense, and I believe we heal as we go. When we reach out to others, in turn, we are healed. If we help someone feel joy, we also feel joy. It is in our bible as well as modern psychology and it is true.
Is there someone you can reach out to today to help? Are there people you can start praying for each day? God will give you thoughts of people to pray for. There are several I get every day who I pray for when they “run across my mind”. We were created with a purpose. This purpose, is to love each other and ourselves. Let’s get to work.
God Bless – you are loved! 
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30-31