I work hard to stay away from political and/or religious discussions. The primary reason has nothing to do with a lack of opinion on most subjects related to politics or religion. It has to do with the fact that most discussions in these arenas are often devoid of any reasonable dialogue whatsoever! When I do make comments, I work to make them rise above the chaos and inherent idiocy so often present in these public diatribes.
Those things being said, I simply must put this one out there! There are HUGE differences between Standing For something and Standing Against something. Think about it! All that that is really necessary for one to Stand Against something (or someone for that matter) is some emotionally charged, under examined, poorly researched, inherently biased, loudly communicated, mass produced message whose only purpose is to divide, separate, alienate, segregate, propagate (hate, ridicule, anger, etc.), debilitate and destroy. Not a lot of thinking going on here. When one is swept up in the storm of Standing Against, rational thought, emotional intelligence and human decency are often swept away in the wake.
Standing For something (or someone for that matter) takes much more courage; much more deliberation; much more reason; much more self-examination. I recently read a quote that I think compliments the intent of this post. The quote says this: “Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate.” Wow! I love how this forces a shift in perspective. Bashing what we hate is easy. Bashing what we hate requires nothing of us except abject mindlessness. Promoting what we love or hold dear requires mindfulness and purposeful detachment from the potential influence of the bullying behavior of those who choose to speak from the din of frenzied group think.
Those who practice Standing For often find themselves walking the path of moderation – a position that places them in the middle of extreme opposite forces and working to bring some sanity to the craziness. Standing For often flies in the face of popular political ideologies and standard modern day theologies. Truly Standing For creates a platform for the promotion of commonality, compassion and reconciliation.
I once wrote, “What’s popular isn’t always right and what’s right isn’t always popular!” This statement is the foundation upon which those who Stand For will find their voice!
I encourage you . . . Learn to Stand For!
Peace!
I invite you to visit my Amazon Author Page and check out the six books I’ve written. You might find something you like. Thanks!
