We have a sign in our yard that says 'ANOTHER HOUSEHOLD FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM'. Whatever one's stance is on the issue, I do believe that everyone agrees that something needs to be done. It's the actual 'how' that is divisive. That said, last night, I got to witness & experience a drunk lady angrily kick my sign. I shouted "HEY!" from my porch just to let her know that she was being observed. I heard one of the fellas that she was with say something like, "That's not like you!". He seemed genuinely taken aback by her gesture. The others were like, "Uh oh, busted!" They walked a little further down the sidewalk and she shouted back at me, "It's B.S.!"
I did not react further for a couple of reasons. One, she was really drunk. And two, even if she wasn't, I don't think there was any chance of engaging in a meaningful conversation about the issue.
It did make me wonder, though, why was she so angry? What did that sign represent to her? That one? Change? Does she feel she will be left behind, that something is being taken away from her?
I've spent the morning discussing it with Alannah & KMHD. It helped me suss out my feelings and solidify my beliefs. I'm not mad anymore. Whatever that lady's anger represents, I resolve to not live in fear, even with the threat of violence, even minor incidents. Also, change is good & sometimes it has to be forced on people. Alannah cited Brown v. Board of Education, hello!
Keep company with like-minded people; they will give you comfort & wisdom.
"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
Here we go.
30 September 2009
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2 comments:
You are SOOO SOO MUCH more understanding than I am. I would probably have been quick to temper with a slew of four letter profanities to follow. but you are right, it is nothing to get upset about, i worry about the folks who appear to be SO THREATENED by change.
Believe me, my mind filled with ultra-violent imagery. I truly felt at the moment that the only way to get my point across to her was throwing my beer bottle at her face.
It exhausted me to show some restraint.
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