General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Will you be able to forgive? [View all]Martin Eden
(12,848 posts)The agents of hatred succeed on a certain level when they fill others with hate. Vlad Putin wanted Trump in the White House for many reasons, not the least of which is to inflame and widen the bitter divisions tearing Americans (and by extension our country) apart.
For the good of our country and the future of the world we live in, today's Republican Party needs to be overwhelmingly defeated in elections at every level of government. Only then can American conservatism regain whatever legitimate value it once possessed.
For the good of our country, the bitter divisions must be healed. We don't have to forgive our unrepentant MAGA relatives, but that doesn't mean we can't make an effort to treat everyone with some kindness. That doesn't mean accepting or indulging or enabling the manifestations of ignorance, fear, and hatred -- but indulging our own anger and resentment accomplishes nothing good. If the relationship is abusive, do not feed it.
That last line reminded me of this:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. A fight is going on inside me, he said to the boy. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
He continued, The other is good he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you and inside every other person, too.
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, Which wolf will win?
The old Cherokee simply replied, The one you feed.