It's a Heart Problem

It’s a heart problem…

July 9, 2015

As I sit and watch the tv news, read my news feed on social media, hear news reported on the radio, or gather news from any other forms of media I come into contact with during the day, all that makes headlines anymore is someone being offended by something. The way I see it, there are things that happen, things we see, things that are said, and many other “things” out there, that we all could take offense to in some way, shape, or fashion – should we choose to do so. I also believe that it’s not a true problem of being offended by a flag or piece of history, or being offended by someone else’s comments, or being offended by whatever, I think it’s a problem that lies within our hearts. Yes, OUR hearts are the problems.  I’m sure someone will get offended by this post, and honestly, I don’t really care. I don’t care because there are so many more offenses in life to be truly offended by and honestly, if we all agreed on the same things and liked the same things; wouldn’t that be a terribly boring life? If you’re already offended or ticked off, stop reading here and more than likely, don’t open up another blog that I post.

I’ve thought about this for a while before writing this. I wanted to share with you some of the things that could possibly offend me, should I care to be loud and extremely whiny about it for long enough. I am offended that in The Lord of the Rings they refer to the hobbits at “the little ones.” I’m offended that Gandalf has to be either Grey or White; he can’t just be Gandalf (and from the Hobbit Radagast has to be brown – who wants to be brown?). I’m offended that when Aragorn is talked about as “the Ranger from the North,” that those discussing him say those words with disdain. I’m offended that Orcs have to be called mindless and that Sauron is only an eye of flame. Do you “hear” how truly silly and trivial that all sounds? No, you say? Well, allow me to keep going. I’m offended that Bilbo’s twelve traveling companions in The Hobbit are referred to as Dwarves. I’m offended that Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones is referred to as the Imp. I’m offended by people who root for the Dallas Cowboys or University of Florida. I’m offended because a house that I pass on a daily basis while driving, has decided to change their siding color to a hideous sky blue color – I mean seriously, who does that? Silly yet? I truly hope that it is beginning to get that way to you. Because in no way, shape, or form, would I dig up J.R.R. Tolkien and advise him that his literary works of art offend me because of distinguishing one character from another. Nor would I do that to George R.R. Martin. Nor would I track down all the Cowboy or Gator fans and tell them that they’re nuts for liking the team that they like. And I certainly wouldn’t stop at the sky blue house and tell the owner that they were nuts – if they can live with that color, who am I to tell them otherwise. 

I can completely feel your eyes rolling at me right about now – for those of you who continued to read, anyway. Don’t do that, it’s really not nice! I realize that my examples in the previous paragraph are somewhat comical or even juvenile, but in actuality, aren’t most of the loudest complaints now a days the same? I choose not to be offended by The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit because I truly love the works of art – the books and all six of the movies. I choose not to be offended by those that like the Cowboys, because I know, love, and respect many people that choose to pull for that team. I even have family that pull for the Gators but I refuse to let that fact change my feelings for these people. Not to mention here, that my choice in not letting these nit-picky things offend me, is another key to this example. No two people are ever going to see eye to eye 100% of the time on 100% of the issues. It just ain’t gonna happen. These differences in each other are what makes us all unique and gives us all character. We should all have differences of opinions and beliefs and desires. It comes down to what is in our hearts that truly sets us apart from each other and truly creates the insurmountable differences. Whether we have a love for ALL mankind – no matter of race, religion, creed, nationality, background, upbringing, wealth, etc. If our hearts are so hardened that love doesn’t exist there for other people, we’re lost. If the only love that we have in our hearts is for ourselves and our own foolishness, then we are truly worse than lost, with no hope of ever coming back.

Do you want to know some “things” that truly do offend me? Again, if you don’t want to “hear” it, close this out now.  I am offended and appalled that the men and women of MY United States Military return home to ridicule, medical problems, and struggle. I am appalled that our military veterans live with the scars – physical and emotional – that they received because they were of the few, the proud, and the brave, that stepped up to defend my right to be offended and appalled, and my right to voice that offense. I am appalled that our nation’s elderly – the ones that helped to build this country from the ground up through their blood, sweat, and tears – are having to make monthly decisions as to whether or not to pay their electric bill, buy their medicines, or buy groceries. I am offended and appalled by those who sit on their ever widening behinds and expect me to work my butt off every day so they can sit home and do nothing but hold their hand out for a check – when there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with them. I am offended by a nation that has forsaken itself and its people and it cares more for things than for beings. I am offended that someone could get life in prison for abusing an animal but yet only get a slap on the wrist or nothing at all for molesting or killing a child. I am offended that our nation has lost its values, its morals, its common decency, its beliefs in good and evil, right and wrong. I am offended that someone, anyone, would even hint that I am a lesser person because of my sex, my religion, my race, my education, or any other thing that is mine. I am offended by people who wear their pants down so low that I have to look at their underwear and they’re too busy holding on to those drooping pants to do anything of purpose. I am offended that I cannot mention God in my school classroom for fear of losing my job. Oh…, these are just a start of all the things that I’m offended by. I’m going to stop here for sake of time.

I suppose the difference in my first “offense” paragraph and the paragraph above, if you look closely, is that the first “offense” paragraph is that I’m outraged over actual “things”. I don’t see how we can allow our service men and women to be treated badly or to not be taken care of properly after they have given all for me. I don’t see how we can allow our elderly to suffer and struggle because if it was not for them, NONE of us would be here. I don’t see why valuable parts of my paycheck have to go to supporting someone that will not work to support themselves. Yes – before you get all up in arms about that – I do know that there are people who cannot work – there is a HUGE difference in those that cannot work and need the help, as opposed to those who will not work. I also think if you’re sick enough to purposely abuse an animal or worse than sick enough to molest a child, that there is no place for you in society among the living. And would someone please, tell me, how in the world it could be comfortable having the waistband of your pants hanging down around your knees? Nobody wants to see your underwear – Pull ‘em up! How hard is it to be good, to have love and RESPECT for one another? Where has all of the kindness gone in this world? 

If I actually listed all the things, fictional or real, that offend me or that I could possibly find offense in, this blog post would be hundreds of thousands of pages long, or more. There are many injustices in life. If you read any history books or research any lives before our own, injustices have always happened. That’s life. Things are going to happen that I don’t like. I’m going to see things that bug me. And you know what – tough crap! It happens, it’s always happened, and as long as any human being has anything to do with it, it’s going to continue to happen. Get over it! As someone once told me, “Put on your big girl panties; suck it up, and GO ON!” Get the darkness and the yuck out of your heart and embrace the differences in everyone for their own uniqueness. Stop spending valuable time and energy focused on what you can do to destroy someone else. Stop whining because the world isn’t laid on a golden platter at your precious feet. Stop filling up the news with all that is offensive in this world and live your own life. Until we all – worldwide, not just in this country; until we all get over ourselves and truly love one another for who and what we are, we’re going to continue to be in the mess that we’re in right now. We’re going to continue to have mountains made out of molehills. We’re going to focus on things that really need not be focused on. Focus on the important things, the human things. We don’t have to always like one another, but we do have to love each other. And with all the heart problems floating around in today’s day and age, we’ve really got our work cut out for us. 

I will not apologize for my views. I will not apologize for anything that is written here. They are my views and I have the right to see them that way. As I said in the beginning, if you were worried about being offended, you should have stopped reading this long before you got here. The blame for your offense lies squarely on your own shoulders. Love each other, People – it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do, but in the end, it’ll be the most rewarding and others around us will be far better than we will be.

Until next time…