A Plea for Peaceful Protests

I don’t expect what I write and you are about to read to change anyone’s mind. This may be seen, by some, as an exercise in futility and for others it may piss them off; however I see it as an attempt to put some positive, love filled energy out into the Universe in hopes it permeates some of the darkness that has descended on our nation. 

I understand why some of you are protesting. I totally support your right to protest, as well as Trump supporters right to protest. What I DO NOT SUPPORT, and pray we all can rise above, is the name calling, the destruction of property, the violence, and the hanging and burning any sort of effigy whether of Trump or Obama or anyone else for that matter.

Change born from violence begets more violence. 

I believe the majority of protesters are doing it peacefully and I know that there are some who join a protest to incite the group to violence. There are people out there who purposely go to protests to amp them up and bring them to violence. These people don’t care about why people are protesting, they just get a high off of inciting a crowd to violence.

Please do not be fuel for their impure motives. 

By all means, protest. By all means let your voices be heard.

By all means work for the change you want to see. By all means defend yourself.

Please, though, I beg of you remember we can get nowhere if every act of violence is reacted to with a higher act of violence. Now is the time, as Michelle Obama says, “We go higher”. I am not just saying this to the Democrats, but to the Republicans as well. 

Instead of competing to see who can beat each other down more violently, let’s compete to see who can be gentler and kinder to each other and who is willing to bring the olive branch first. And by this I am not saying we have to agree with each other. What I am trying to remind us all of is that we are all together in this and must live together, whoever is president, whenever a new election is held. Just because you may like orange sherbet and I prefer chocolate ice cream does not mean I am better than you. It just means we have different preferences related to how we want to live our life. 

And a reminder – preferences are way different than prejudices. 

There is no place in America for holding people down and discriminating based on color, creed, sexual orientation, disability, etc. That must stop and that is part of what is being protested and needs to be protested. 

Now is the time to take a stand for protecting our minority brothers, sisters, and family. If I see a person, friend or stranger or even foe, being harassed or abused by someone because they are black, Muslim, liberal or conservative, gay, disabled, etc. I will step in and take a stand. I can use my white skin card to help protect others and I ask for others to join me in this. I have friends and family who voted for Trump and I believe they too want to stop the abuse and harassment. 

Let us stand together for love and peace because we are all humans and because we ALL deserve to be treated with respect, dignity, and honor.

So by all means, protest and protect. And I beg and encourage that we all do it from a place of love where we seek peace for all because we all belong to the human race.