There are so many things separating us in the world right now, aren’t there? When I talk with people, they say that they’ve never lived in a more divisive time. And, of course, we all believe our side is the “right” side.
Frustration manifests itself in different ways. Sometimes, it causes pain and sometimes it causes anger. My mom had a saying, “Frustration always leads to aggression.” It was something I heard so often as a child that I tuned it out, but we are living in a very frustrating time, and mom’s saying is being played out in front of our eyes.
A few days ago, I saw an ad for a neat kitchen gadget that turns fruit and milk into ice cream. As a diabetic, I immediately thought of how great it would be for those of us with dietary restrictions. You could use alternative “milks”, skip the sugar and come up with some wonderful desserts that wouldn’t make you ill. Because I wanted the company to make a success of their venture, I commented on how wonderful it would be to market it to people who couldn’t eat normal ice cream.
I didn’t really expect any “good idea” comments, but I was completely unprepared for what I did get. One person told me to try and get some common sense and make my ice cream any way I wanted to. Two other people made similar comments.
I was stunned. I had done nothing to merit such anger and snotty behavior. It hurt and I wanted to retreat into a hole and stay there.
I’m seeing these types of reactions more and more. To be honest, I sometimes want to answer in kind. It is only God’s grace (and, a LOT of self-talk) that keeps me from doing so.
I get that our beliefs are deeply held and yes, I do look at some posts and think, “What a dork, how can anyone think that?!” But, I would hope that we could treat each other with a little respect.
Julie wrote this blog a while back. It is brilliant and I hope you take a minute to read it.
I will continue to hold my beliefs deep in my heart and I will continue to mourn the separation I feel between myself and those who have chosen different paths. I will also do my best to treat others the way I would want to be treated. I read that somewhere and it sounds like good advice (wink, wink).
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