Where is the Love?

Wednesday night my husband asked if I would accompany him to watch the new “Equalizer 2” movie.  We couldn’t recall the first “Equalizer” that  starred my favorite actor, Denzel Washington, so we found it On Demand and watched it. Thirty minutes into the movie, I was feeling physically sick as it became clear that Denzel was going to do battle to free a young Russian woman who was being trafficked for sex in this country.  I admit that I have always struggled with man’s inhumanity. Good must always do battle with evil; I just struggle with why there is so much evil.  And the problem seems to be worsening.

I’ve always been the sensitive, idealistic, empathetic and sympathetic person who can’t handle human suffering.  As a kid my mother used to tell me to stay away from the medical profession because I had a horrible tendency to get sympathy pains. For example, when she broke her foot, my foot swelled up so bad that she took me to the doctor only to discover that nothing was wrong with my foot.  The doctor diagnosed my problem to be sympathy pains once my x-ray came back perfectly normal and he saw that my mother’s foot was in a cast.  Within minutes my foot was back to normal.  My teen years were spent with a slew of sympathy pains for friends and family.  When I would come down with an array of symptoms, my mother would ask if I had been hanging out with someone who was suffering the same malady.  I was in my twenties when I learned to distance my mind enough to not take on other people’s physical symptoms.  But feeling the emotional pain of others continues to linger.

I am still overly sensitive to suffering and have great difficulty accepting the inhumane treatment of others without feeling physically sick to my stomach.  To this day, I can’t watch boxing or wrestling or any other intentionally violent individual sport where one human being sets out to intentionally inflict harm on another human being.   I feel the frustration in my body when people treat others with less than the dignity and respect they deserve.  The situations are toxic or poisonous to my immune system, just as if I have breathed in pollution.

These days, we are living in a nation that is slipping back into its worse tendencies of xenophobia, racism, sexism, and homophobia.  And sadly, it seems as though the leaders of the movement to the bottom are evangelical Christians who are blindly following Donald Trump.  I read a woman’s comment on Twitter the other day that she thought Donald Trump was the “savior” of the United States.  I have to stay off Twitter and generally do avoid it.  I am a Christian, so I feel comfortable challenging my brethren who have forgotten the actual example and teachings of Jesus.  It was Jesus who taught us to care for the stranger.  It was Jesus who taught us to embrace the outcast. It was Jesus who taught us to care for the children and the least of these.  The way of Jesus is the way of love and care for our fellow human beings, not judgement, condemnation, and intolerance.

My heart hurts to hear Trump followers say that people fleeing violence and poverty are criminals because they entered the U.S. illegally.  Have we forgotten that Jesus, Mary and Joseph were once refugees?  Too many Trump followers ignore the reality of how long and how difficult it is to come to this country legally.  People fleeing for their lives do not have 10-15 years.  Which of us in their position would not do the same to save our children?  Too many  condone the separation of children from their parents as a lesson to the parents for breaking the law.  To be clear, crossing the border illegally is a civil offense, not a criminal offense. If you get a parking ticket, no one is going to take your children away because you broke the law.

The lack of compassion and empathy among many is sad.  The lack of desire to even try to understand the circumstances of others shows how a lack of human decency has been unleashed again in human history. The failure of too many to see taking a knee during the national anthem as an act to highlight the need to address human suffering in our nation makes my heart sick.  The desire to roll back health care for half the population with pre-existing conditions is appalling and inhumane.  The policies to roll back protections for our environment is short-sighted and dangerous.  I’m sad.

I’ll end with the lyrics to the song by the Black Eyed Peas, “Where is the Love?”  I’ve been listening and crying to this song a lot.  The lyrics resonate with me and bring me hope as I look to God to bring us guidance and ask others to let their souls gravitate towards love.

Where Is the Love?
The Black Eyed Peas

What’s wrong with the world, mama
People livin’ like they ain’t got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that’ll bring you trauma
Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin’
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you’re bound to get irate, yeah
Madness is what you demonstrate
And that’s exactly how anger works and operates
Now, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y’all, y’all
People killin’, people dyin’
Children hurt can you hear them cryin’?
Can you practice what you preach?
And would you turn the other cheek?
Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
‘Cause people got me, got me questionin’
Where is the love? (Love)
Where is the love? (The love)
Where is the love? (The love)
Where is the love?
The love, the love
It just ain’t the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane?
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don’t belong
Nations droppin’ bombs
Chemical gasses fillin’ lungs of little ones
With the ongoin’ sufferin’ as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin’ really gone
So I can ask myself really what is goin’ wrong
In this world that we livin’ in people keep on givin’
In
Makin’ wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin’ each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin’ on but the reason’s undercover
The truth is kept secret, it’s swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love
Where’s the love, y’all, come on (I don’t know)
Where’s the truth, y’all, come on (I don’t know)
Where’s the love, y’all( come on yeah)
People killin’, people dyin’
Children hurt and you hear them cryin’
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek
Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
‘Cause people got me, got me questionin’
Where is the love (Love)
Where is the love (the love)
Where is the love (the love)
Where is the love
The love, the love
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I’m gettin’ older, y’all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin’
Selfishness got us followin’ the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images, it’s the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids want to act like what they see in the cinema
Yo’, whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead in spreading love we’re spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
That’s the reason why sometimes I’m feelin’ under
That’s the reason why sometimes I’m feelin’ down
There’s no wonder why sometimes I’m feelin’ under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found now ask yourself
Sing with me, y’all
(One world one world)
We only got (one world one world)
That’s all we got (one world one world)
And somethings wrong with it (yeah)
And somethings wrong with it (yeah)
And somethings wrong with the w-w-world yeah
We only got (one world one world)
That’s all we got (one world one world)
Songwriters: BALFOUR CONSTANTINE BAILEY,HALDANE WAYNE BROWNE,OTTO TILMANN