America 2018 or Hitler's Germany? You decide.

My heart can't take it anymore. We can do so much better than this. We need to do so much better than this. 

There is another division within our country. While I understand most divisions that arise, this one blows my mind. The hardest part for me is the fact that we have lost a level of our humanity. We care more about supposed "laws", "policies", "political parties", or "philosophical beliefs about immigration" than we care about children.

Remember as a kid waking up in the middle of the night with tears streaming down your face because of the horrible nightmare you just witnessed? When the worst things your brain could imagine happened before your eyes? Did you run into your parents' room for comfort? Did you mom run into your room at the first sound of your frightened cries? Imagine waking up from a nightmare, only to realize you are still in a equally if not more frightening situation. No parents to sooth you. You aren't even in your bedroom. You have nowhere to run except the 4 corners of the small fenced in area that you have been trapped in.

As a kid did you ever get lost in a mall? Surrounded by people who had no idea what you were going through? Wondering if you would ever see your parents again? You wandered helplessly until you found someone who you thought you could trust and pleaded for their help. Did they help you? Did they throw you aside and say, "it's your parents' fault that they lost you?" Were you thrown in a back room while the mall security guard "tried to figure things out" while you continued to lose more and more hope every day?

Have you ever seen a child who cries when their parents leave them? Have you ever seen a child separated from their parents by force? Have you ever heard the cries of scared and confused children who have relied on their parents for strength as they fled their homes, but now their parents aren't there and there is nobody there to lean on. 

Have you read a history book that explains the awful situations that happened to the Jews during WWII? Have you heard the stories of the Nazis raping innocent people? Have you heard the stories of them being beaten, bruised, starved, caged, and neglected? Have you seen pictures with Hitler's face and the Nazi logo plastered on the walls and signs to show superiority? Have you heard stories of people who turned away, pretended nothing was wrong, because in their mind ignorance is innocence? Have you heard the stories of innocent people who were finally released from their inhumane "prisons", only to realize that they couldn't run from their memories and the trauma of the camps. They couldn't run, they couldn't forget, so they took the only way out that they could think of.

Under no circumstances should children be ripped away from family. Under no circumstances should children be ripped away from family. Under no circumstances should children be ripped away from family. Under no circumstances should children be ripped away from family.

I don't care what your political affiliation is. I don't care what your religious background is. I don't care what the color of your skin is. I don't care what "policy" is in place. No children should be ripped away from family. 

I'll say it one more time for the people in the back who think they are above humane practices. Under no circumstances should children be ripped away from family. 

This needs to change. If there is truly a law in place that promotes this practice, it needs to change. NOW!

If there is a policy in place that promotes this practice, it needs to change. NOW!

If there is a person who promotes this practice, pray for them. Because only a God can fix someone who lost their humanity. 

"Truth transcends party" - Michelle Obama

We need to do so much better. I always heard that if we don't learn from history, we are bound to repeat it. Well folks, we are here. We are at the brink of falling into the inhumane, destructive, degrading, murderous, and shattering past that is common in history books. I can't stay quiet on this issue. In 200 years when they are writing the history books, they will talk about his dark spot on our history. They will show pictures of the people promoting this bad behavior. They will show pictures of crying kids being ripped from their family. They will talk about all the people who were in a position to stop this behavior but sat back and watched instead. I don't care if my name never makes it in a text book, but I do care that I am setting up a better world for my children. I do care that one day my children will sit in a history class and say, "My dad didn't sit back. My dad fought, because he knew it was the right thing to do."

President Trump and other elected members of our government, I call on you to use the authority you have been given to make a change. To stop the hatred filled and inhuman practices that are happening within your country's borders. Regardless of your political affiliation, take a stand with pride. Use the platform that you have been given to save those souls. Don't let man-kind down. 

The Downfall of Hypocrisy

Today I’ve been thinking a lot about hypocrisy. I don’t think people mean to be hypocrites. Nobody wants that label over their headstone at least. So why is there hypocrisy? 

I think the biggest reason involved thinking before speaking, or a lack thereof. It is so ewasy to say, “I’ll just clean everything up in the morning” when are are tired and having a “lazy moment”, but then be irritated and lash out when your roommate doesn’t jump up and clean when they themselves are having a lazy moment. 

If we think before we speak, it is so much easier to see the other side. Think “why are they having this reaction?”, “why is this a struggle for this group of people?”, “is there something I can do to help them?”, “will my reaction improve the situation?”, etc.

I know that this post might spark a little hypocrisy from things I might have said in the past, and I apologize for any harmful hypocrisy that I have given to anyone. I am trying to do better, and I am trying to continually think before I speak. I will try to forgive like I hope you will forgive.   

The Middle of the Road

I walk down the middle of the road.
I look from side to side, but all I see is darkness.
I feel safe in the middle of the road.
Theres light in the middle, there will be no confusion.

I walk down the middle of the road.
Some may call me indifferent.
I pray in the middle of the road.
To my God straight above me.

I walk down the middle of the road.
I hear calling and yelling from the sides.
I stand in the middle of the road.
I refuse to sway one way or another.

I walk down the middle of the road,
but I love all who walk, regardless the side.
I forget in the middle of the road,
about the paths that they have walked before.

I walk down the middle of the road.
The television tells me walk left not right.
I vote in the middle of the road.
Because I've found the sidelines to be all wrong.

I've tried walking left and I've tried walking right.
I've tried leaving the road in the dark.
I've tried hiding from the streetlights.
Now I walk proudly down the middle of the road.

This is a poem I free-wrote expressing my feelings with a metaphor. I have constantly found myself "in the middle of the road" on many situations and on many hot topics. I see myself as neither a Republican nor a Democrat. They both have positives and negatives, while failing to see and improve their party faults. I've found myself taking a stand for my religion, while loving and holding up my fellow friends and family. I've been called a sinner, a bigot, a saint, a lover, a hater, and a friend based on one of my opinions. I don't regret any of my stances, for I feel that my intentions have always been good. I try to love everyone.

This weird world may be taking sides, but as for this guy, I'm choosing whats right in the middle of the road.

Where is the Love?

(A post written August 2017 in regards to the “unite the right rally” held in Charlottesville VA)

Every morning I hear the gentle buzzing of my phone two seconds before the alarm goes off. I reach over and try to stop it before the sound blares through my still waking ears. A wave of anxiety rushes over me as I check to see what act of terrorism, racism, or hate overcame the world while I slept. Every day it is something new. Every day we slip a little further from our humanity.

As a kid I grew up thinking that racism had died. Maybe it was my young naive heart or my youthful optimism. I had hoped that we had moved beyond this strong form of hatred. Racism is real. If you deny it, you are enabling those who wish pain and hurt to come upon fellow humans. For a moment, I wont talk about the shaming, passed up opportunities, or stereotyping as forms of racism. For now, I want to talk about the events that have happened in Charlottesville this weekend. Seeing videos of humans carrying torches and chanting inhumane slurs about other people brought a fear that I haven't felt since learning about Nazi Germany in my history class. Did none of those people pay attention in history? Do they not remember feeling the outrage and sadness in their hearts when they learned of the things the Nazis did to men, women, and children? Do they not remember the heroic stories of people risking their lives to save those who were being beaten, tortured and killed at the hands of the Nazis? If they have even the slightest memory, how can they walk around carrying a flag with the Nazi symbol, promoting the exact same message we've spent a lifetime trying to erase?

There has to be a better way to live.

Terror attacks are sweeping the world on a daily basis. These are people who promote hatred and violence against people who are not like them. These extremists (of any background, religion, or belief) are modern day Nazis who are in line with with extremists who promoted hate and violence this past weekend. Where is the love? Why are we constantly trying to tear down other people? Why can't we just turn the other cheek? I grow tired and fearful of the direction our world is heading in. We need strong leaders who will condemn and push back against these hateful actions.

Love. Learn. Teach.

One of the issues I see with the world is that people have been taught that everything is black or white. They can’t grasp the concept that various viewpoints or ideas can be correct. There can be multiple correct answers, or even no correct answers at all. People think life is like a multiple choice answer test and are so scared of circling the right answer. Instead, it is a free response essay that is constantly evolving as we gain more knowledge and understanding about life. We need to switch from an “I’m right, you’re wrong” attitude to a progressive “what can I learn to form my own opinions” attitude. 

Imagine a world where we talk about religion and philosophical beliefs as a growing and evolving subject. We can still believe in God but adopt the lessons of love and selflessness from interacting and learning from our Islamic neighbors. 

Or imagine a world where instead of saying “let’s ban guns” or “it is my American right to bear arms”, we think about what the issues are, what concerns people have, and the MANY various solutions we can approach towards protecting our children, friends, and loved ones. 

Imagine a world where we talk through our issues and fix the problems instead of throwing them out and running away. Where we try to walk a mile in someone’s shoes to see their point of view and why they are passionate about the things that they love. 

Imagine a world where we tried to get along. Where we didn’t take offense when someone has a differing opinion. Where we try to show compassion for someone who is trying to figure out their beliefs. 

Trust me, the world is a scary and confusing place. Why can’t we help each other along instead of competing in a non-existent race. I promise there isn’t a prize for finishing life first. Love each other. Talk with each other. Try to understand each other. Don’t get so caught up on your own opinions that you fail to learn from your fellow humans. Just love and be loved. Learn and teach. Give and receive. I promise life is so much better that way.