Our day is Not Black or White.
Most days have some parts that we consider right or good and some things that are wrong or bad. For me, this day is like that.
The good news
Congress finally passed a gun bill to help protect our children. Is it everything I think it should be, no? But it is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, we seem to be going back into the Wild, Wild West era where you can now carry a handgun, with the states and cities having little ability to limit your ability to take a handgun outside your home.
This decision seems to open the door for more random killing of unarmed civilians when two armed men decide to draw on each other. They will now see this as their right. Are people going to become more polite, or will we all be forced, for our protection, to buy and carry handguns? Not a pleasant thought.
The bad news
Today the Supreme Court overturned Roe V Wade, making it more difficult for a woman to get an abortion. There will be many negative consequences of this action. Is this a religious or societal issue for you or a combination? Many people object on religious grounds, and many people object on societal grounds.
Whatever your basis for thinking this is bad, we are taking a giant step backward in seeing women as equal human beings.
Some of the many negative consequences we as a society all now experience are:
- We will have many unloved children born, creating more mental health issues as this group of children grows up.
- Mothers will be unable to care for the children they are forced to have due to incest and early teen pregnancies creating further societal pressures.
- Women will have to travel farther and farther to get an abortion as states begin to pass their anti-abortion statutes.
- Women will have to find alternatives that are not as safe as a doctor-performed abortion.
So, how do we stay sane in a grey world?
Staying sane in a world where we don’t think of ourselves as all part of a human race is a challenge. Unfortunately, we continue to move in a direction that is problematic- more guns, less equality for women, and massive migrations caused by war and climate change.
For me, I try to stay sane in this world by:
- I am living in the here and now. I can’t control or influence what the Supreme Court does. I can only ensure that I treat each person I interact with humanely.
- I meditate and consider whether or not I live up to the idea of treating each person as a part of a single human race.
- I try to live fully in the now, not the past, and not the future. Now is all we have.
- I write letters to my state and federal legislators to share my views and opinions and hopefully influence theirs.
“Laugh whenever you can. Keeps you from killing yourself when things are bad. That and vodka.”
― Jim Butcher, Changes
