I didn’t post yesterday.  I couldn’t.  I needed time to process.  I needed time to grieve.  I needed to reach out to my loved ones and tell them “I love you.”  I needed to hold my baby close as she slept.

This is a very dark month for America and the world.  First, Iryna Zarutska.  Now, Charlie Kirk. Both murdered. 

I didn’t know either.  I wasn’t one of their social media followers.  I wasn’t their friend.  I had only watched a few Charlie Kirk videos and only had a vague idea of who he was.  But my heart breaks for these victims and especially their families.

We live in a world that celebrates evil.  Where deaths are politicized, and acts of violence and terror are mainstream.  Where people have become so hardened and jaded that the loss of life (be it an infant, political figure, police officer, black man, religious leader, or refugee) is met with online eye rolls or laughs.

We treat each other so disdainfully in the face of disagreements or differences.  We try to silence each other into submission with blame, labels (racist, homophobic, leftist, bigot, etc), and personal insults. 

Everyone on social media.  All of the politicians and activists.  The journalists and blog writers.  Those involved in their communities and schools in any capacity.  Each of us.  We ALL partake in freedom of speech.  It’s not a gift we had to fight for.  It was won with others’ blood.  It was handed to us. 

We can use that gift (our words) to uplift…to help each other and share ideas in hopes of a brighter future.  To build bridges and reach out in patience and forgiveness.  Or we can use our words to hurt and drag down.  The choice is ours, but there is no middle ground.

We need to stop posturing ourselves above others so a winner and loser are all but guaranteed.  We need to collectively stand against wrong.  We need to stop denying others the same freedoms we enjoy (such as freedom of speech).  This is hypocrisy at its finest.

If we want to have a better society, we need to be that change.  Today.  None of us lives in a vacuum and all actions have a ripple effect.  Our words and actions matter.  They impact others everyday. 

So start right now.  Say “I love you,” “I forgive you,” “I don’t agree but see your point is valid too.” 

Get off your phone and smile at someone.  Hold the door open.  Say excuse me.  Ask how someone’s day was and truly listen.

Treat your spouse better.  Hold your children tighter and longer.  Respect your elders.  Serve your neighbor.  Pray for and forgive your enemies.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” ~ MLK Jr