The Power of Us
Replacing Hate With Love and Compassion
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
When I ask what positivity means to you, what is your immediate response? Is it something that you attempt to work into your life on a daily basis? Is it something that emits from your person when it is convenient, easy, or immediately profitable for you? Regardless of your answers, rest assured that this article will: open your mind up to the true beauty of remaining positive and supportive, change your perspective on why positivity plays such an important role in American society today, and explain how we can all enhance our lives and the lives of others through positivity.
One of the most interesting phenomena I have ever experienced first hand has been the innate ability of positive-minded individuals to immediately change the dynamic of any situation they stumble upon. The most impressive and awe-inspiring aspect of these individuals is their personal experience with negativity, and ultimately their ability to brush it aside to shift the focus back to the positive aspects of a situation or individual. These people are oftentimes the recipients of hateful speech, misguided anger, and prejudice, but they care not for these forms of negative rhetoric.
Understanding the origins and manifestations of these hateful thoughts, feelings, and actions allows the positive individual(s) to sift through the dirt and grime of negativity to expose the clarity and purity of positive thinking. These positive thinkers embrace people from all walks of life. They don’t see skin color, sexual orientation, gender identification, or religion as viable factors by which to judge or categorize people. These people don’t see them at all. What they see is the good in people. They see the things that the rest of us are too shallow, lazy, or selfish to seek out. They see people for who they are rather than what they are. The saddest and most sobering fact regarding these people, however, is that there are not enough of them. There may be 6,999,999 people on this Earth that embrace all and ostracize none, but that 1 person left with hate and prejudice in their heart lives to perpetuate these evil beliefs and heinous actions. That is one too few, and one too many.
What this world truly needs is a generation of voices — voices that have depth, invoke passion, and provide meaning. How have we gotten here? Where are we going? Why is it that we as a society continue to do the things we do? The gruesome and unjustified killings of young black men and women at the hands of law enforcement officers continue to occur. The back and forth arguments being had regarding the Confederate flag and its place in our society today are chock-full of racist undertones, overtones, and full-on prejudice rivaling that of the 1950s and 60s in some instances (seriously, if you haven’t done so already, log on to Facebook and click on one of the top 3 shared posts on your feed and read the comments). Children, teens, and young adults struggling with who they are sexually and who they are attracted to are being bullied, beaten, and in severe cases killed just for being who they are. Religious groups are constantly at war with one another over one issue or another. And for what? What have we accomplished in terms of progress? Will we continue to regress into this abysmal hole we have dug and cast ourselves into? The answer has to be ‘no’.
Though verbal, physical, and situational instances of hateful propaganda, speech, and actions are taking place nationwide and are affecting the lives of too many innocent people, we each have a voice. We each have a tool that, at our discretion, can be used for good or evil. It is up to us to decide. Do I choose to lift others up, or do I choose to tear others down? It seems like such a logical answer that anything other than ‘lift others up’ seems borderline incomprehensible. However much you and I may want to believe that the answer is so simple, for others it is not. For others it is an escape, an outlet for their own petty, misconceived notions on what is right or wrong. What is wrong is making someone feel bad about who they are as a person. What is wrong is telling someone how and how not to live their life. What is right is supporting the decisions of others, as well as celebrating the brave and courageous decisions people make that hateful people will surely attack them for.
What those hateful individuals don’t know is that soon enough they won’t matter. Soon enough those opposing the advancement of Black America, LGBT movements, and universal religious acceptance will be defeated. They will be no more. They have misused their voice and have been stripped of it. Those hateful words online, in the media, and spoken to you and others on the street mean nothing. Sure, they are hurtful. Sure, they sting. But the one thing they don’t do is break the resolve of those with love and compassion in their hearts. It is ok to be black. It is ok to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. It is ok to be Muslim, Jewish, or Christian. These are all things that make us who we are. These are the very essence of our humanly existence. The common denominator in all of these groups is that they are comprised of humans. We are all human. If you are reading this chances are that you have two eyes, a mouth, opposable thumbs, and the mental capacity to solve complex problems utilizing critical thinking skills. We all fit the mold. We may not fit the specific mold of any given individual, but we fit together as humans in the global community. The ability to accept one another for our differences is arguably one of the most human traits a person can possess.
At the end of the day we are all people — humans operating with similar bodies, minds, and feelings. We are not the same. One of the only things we truly share is the fact that we are innately different. In many circles showing love and compassion is perceived as uncool, lame, and weak, but the people we all agree possess the most courage are full of love, preach compassion, and show others that what makes a person courageous is more than an act — it’s a mindset. It’s a lifestyle not enough people live.
The racism, homophobia, and religious intolerance has kept people blind to the love and compassion some people choose to share with everyone. That doesn’t have to be. We as a nation can reunify our society through positivity and the inability to accept anything less than what we deserve. Bigotry and hatred have no place in America anymore. They had their time, and now they are done. Love reigns supreme. Compassion rules all. The quicker we all come together to enjoy this beautiful nation and everything she has to offer as one, the more likely it is we can right our past wrongs and continue to be the best country on this Earth and a model for the rest of the world.
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