I live in the United States. It is deeply distressing to see the changes happening in my country. I pray regularly for patience, courage, and for opportunities to resist the fascist movement rolling through the land. I am embarrassed by the president's behavior, disgusted with the behavior of his administration, and horrified by the failure of Congress to act to retain the balance of powers. One may say that it is out of character for me to post something looking at politics here.
I try to keep religion and politics separate. But given the current environment, I am afraid that freedom of religion is going to get stripped away. I am afraid that my family doesn't pass close enough for the 'normal' to keep the eyes of fascists away from us. I am a student of history and looking at what is happening now, I am deeply concerned that death camps are not that far away. And I know that I and my family would be on a list.
I am of German heritage and I was taught by my family that the rise of the Nazis was the shame of Germany. When my younger brother espoused approval of Nazis when we were in our youth, I decked him for it. I got in trouble with my parents for nearly punching my baby brother out, but he never brought up the topic around me again. With keen awareness that the Nazi policies and practices were based upon how the U.S. government treated the native peoples of this region, I have an equal sense of shame for the U.S.
I have a history of calling out people in power for bad behavior. I have taught my sons to speak truth to power as well. It cycles back to the lesson that we've been instilling in the boys: don't apologize, do better. Apologies are nice, but empty words if no action is taken to repair the harm done.
I also have a history of taking action for justice and using my privilege to raise up others who don't have the access to things that I do. If you are starving, I will not only make you a meal, I will help you find food resources and teach you how to cook. If you are naked, I will give you the shirt off my back and help you acquire clothes. I was taught that having privilege obliges you to help those who do not. I was taught that having privilege obliges you to be an example of how to wield the power that comes with it justly.
I am not a saint. (Though Beloved considers me to be one and he's really sweet for doing so.) I am just a good person attempting to make the world more livable for all of us. As such, I do things like recycle, pick up trash whenever we're at the park, and try to practice sustainable living habits. I like to think that doing a whole bunch of little good acts equates to helping push back against the hate that surrounds us.
Now, however, is the time to do more than my usual small acts. It is time to seek out the people who are being persecuted and form a shieldwall between them and the people harming them. It is time to scream in the streets, halls of legislature, and across the social media platforms that what is happening is wrong and against our consent. We must exercise our rights or we will lose them. And we must march to protect those who are in danger because the people in power will come for us next.
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