1st reply- “Such a little hippie at heart!”
2nd reply- “Aint that the
damn truth… Christina hippie McManamy twinkle feet Sylvester. lol”
My reply to them was “ you boyz know me so well.”
I’m sure in my life I had been referred to as worse
things than a “hippie”! Yes, I have
always realized that I have a hippie spirit. I consider it a positive thing and
a compliment. I truly believe that we are always trying to maintain a harmonious
balance of all of the “things” that are encompassed in our life’s journey. To compose our inner peace is a daily task
that will create a more authentic & peaceful life. Awareness of ourselves
and the beauty that surrounds us is enlightening.
It seems that this week I have read more turmoil on the
social networks & the news about matters that so many people will never
agree on. Whether it is about religious beliefs, scriptural interpretation,
moral standards, political opinions, race, who a person should love or if we should
patronize certain businesses, it has been a week of a lot of “freedom of speech”
going on! I must admit that it upsets me
greatly that in all of our diversities that we as human beings cannot find a
way to agree to disagree! I firmly believe in the quote by Voltaire that says, “I
may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to
say it.”
Yes, everyone has an opinion and everyone has the right
to express that opinion, but can we not find a less mean spirited way to express
that then to verbally & physically attack those that have different opinions
and beliefs than our own? If you have such a strong belief in a cause, then find
a productive and peaceful way to support that cause that does not involve utter
bashing of another human being that has a different point of view. Isn’t this the “stuff” that wars are built on?
Is the world not filled with enough hurt & unrest? Are there not better
things to deal with than trying to convince someone that their free-willed
opinion is wrong?
All people form their views from many different areas and
a lot of it depends on the value systems they hold dear, the environment they
live and the circumstances that they are in at the time. Upbringing can help
form ones views and many others form views from what the media feeds them. We
tend to think the right solution to (fill in the blank with the issue) is
whatever will help us prosper individually & gives us a sense of empowerment.
Truth is, you can’t please everyone and not every solution helps everyone. What
is good for one can be detrimental to another.
What I am trying to say is that there will always be
conflict. However, what I am also saying is that we are all unique human beings
and the two things missing from all of this turmoil are RESPECT & LOVE. Can’t
we all just RESPECT each other and learn to share some LOVE with our fellow
human beings? If we spent more time focusing on respecting & loving, I KNOW
that there would be GREAT changes in this world.
As I watched the Olympic opening ceremonies and the games
this past week, the most beautiful of all was seeing ALL of the nation’s march
in behind the flag in which they represent. The athletes standing together, in
PEACE, with the shared goal of giving their best to the sport in which they had
trained years to master. Even though they are there to compete against each
other they have a common respect for the hard work that took place in order to
get them to this very place. What an amazing sight!
I suppose my Hippie spirit hopes that people will come to
realize that there is much more reward in respecting and loving then fighting
and hating. As us Hippie’s say, “Give Peace a Chance!”
Just Sayin’,
Christina