Love, Peace and Tolerance or Hate, Anger and Fear. It’s Your Choice.

“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I penned a piece over the weekend about the attack on the embassies and consulates in Egypt and Libya and Romney’s unprecedented and quick-to-fire response.  I didn’t publish it because the reaction from people across the globe may be the bigger story.

We, as soul-beings on this earth, have a choice to make: anger/hate/fear and retaliation or understanding/love/kindness and tolerance for others.  I choose the latter.  Not just because it’s good karma and what the Universe (God — use what’s comfortable for you) wants us to do, but also because I’ve come to believe that hate reduces I.Q. and fries brain cells.

We’ve seen examples of both this week.  From the Libyans who tried to get Ambassador Stevens to the hospital to the young lady that posted a picture of herself on Facebook with a sign that said something like:  Not all Americans hate Muslims.  I love you.

And we’ve seen the fear and hate-filled responses as well.  The instant (and not very well thought out) comments by Romney as the situation was still in motion was reactionary and divisive.  I don’t trust that he understands the intricacies and nuances of foreign relations.  The only purpose for his appearance (before the Secretary of State or President had spoken, which is unprecedented) was to feed the fire.  To spin a story, an unfolding and dangerous story, just to rile up his base was disturbing.

Fear, hate and anger towards “others” , breeds more fear, hate and anger.  Everyone agrees that what happened at the hands of some extremists in the middle east is vile.  Yet we need to remember that, as far as we know, this was not a government, popular or military attack.  Yet we hear the cries for war.  War against who exactly?

I’ll bring this conversation into my own circle now. The day after Ambassador Stevens and 3 others were killed I read a number of posts from our “friends” that frightened me.  And, I must say, all of them were from zealous Christians.  Now mind you, just as I don’t judge all Muslims by the heinous acts of the minority, I don’t judge all Christians by their hateful minority fringe.

I think the most upsetting post to me read, in closing her hate-filled post “when I see those coexist stickers on a car, I just want to run them over”.  Wow!  Intolerance for tolerance — that was a new one to me.  Usually an act of inclusion and oneness, even if it’s just on a bumper sticker, makes people feel better, so this post was highly unusual in my experience.

I have more examples of intolerance and hate, but I choose not to focus on them.  It just makes me sad for these people.  I will continue to focus on oneness and peace, even if some people want to run me off the road for it!

You have the power — each one of us does — to contribute to the world becoming more peaceful and loving, or more hateful and angry.  How will you choose to change your world?

I’ll end with the old standard question, WWJD?  and I think we all know the answer.

Peace & love to all of you