As I sat eating lunch today, scrolling through my Facebook news feed at all the opinions about the football players and coaches and what they should or shouldn’t have done during the national anthem and who they respected or didn’t respect I became frustrated and annoyed.
It seems that everything and everyone is missing the point (IMO).
The point was, our very polarizing president tweeted something inappropriate (nothing new here) and it offended a lot of people (as it should).
How do you handle that injustice? What can you do to be heard?
That is what was on the table. What can we do to be heard, to make a difference, to stand up for what we believe in?
They decided it was to do (or not do) something during the national anthem at each game. Was this the best thing they could have done? That could be argued. Did it work? Apparently not, since we’re not talking about WHY they did it, we’re only talking about WHO they offended (NOT THE POINT!).
Let’s take a step back for a second. Who are the NFL football players? Where did they come from? What kind of backgrounds do they have? Do you know about EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM?
I sure as hell don’t.
Even the ones I do know, I don’t know the details of their life. So, I can’t make a judgment on them, and the call they made, because I don’t know.
But what I can do is ASK, be compassionate, and try to understand their situation.
I can:
- look for common ground
- find out what infuriates them and why
- find out their background
- listen
- make a change
Perhaps I’ll learn something that I didn’t know before. Perhaps, I’ll understand something I’ve had no experience with. Or maybe, I won’t get it at all, and it will be really hard to find common ground.
But, I’ll keep working on it.
I strongly believe in a Jesuit education, because I feel like it is the way we should all carry our lives.
Never accept exactly what you are told, challenge it.
Challenge your teachers, students, friends, peers, but LISTEN, and debate with them. It helps you grow a deeper understanding of where they are coming from and why. As I’ve gotten older I’ve come to understand there is a lot I don’t know.
I’ve been fortunate (or unfortunate depending on how you look at it) to grow up in a “bubble” where the challenges I face are very different than those across the vast country I live in.
And, I have to constantly remind myself to dig into that story a bit more.
Challenge it.
Question it.
Then, once I’m comfortable with the information I’ve gathered, come up with a stance.
I often sit quietly while others debate political topics because I am not an expert, but I get frustrated when I don’t see parties listening to one another, and trying to understand where they are coming from.
I also get frustrated listening when people are brainwashed and believe only one thing because one person said it.
If you are going to have an opinion, own it. Know it.
Don’t just spit out someone else’s.
Do I respect the men and women who risk their lives to protect our country? You bet I do.
Do I expect them to challenge authority if an authority is telling them to do something that they don’t believe in? You bet I do.
So, should they get offended when someone else is trying to challenge authority for something they don’t believe in? No.
That’s our jobs as citizens of this country. We need to stand up for what we believe in, and we need to discuss WHY we are making that stand. WHY it’s important. I’m sure we can all learn something from one another, and I’m sure we would all be living in a better place if we asked, and discussed, and truly listened to one another’s answers to that question.
So, next time something offends you, stop first. Ask yourself why it offends you. Then, reach out to the person who offended you, and ask them why they did what they did. Maybe you’ll learn something new. My hope is you’ll at least learn to let love and compassion lead your life, and then we’ll all be a little better off.
And look deep inside yourself and ask yourself, are you doing what you believe in?
xoxo
