You Will Make a Difference

Dangerous stuff, but truth is often dangerous.

I'm ready. I'm ready for a new universe. What I mean by new universe is really just the next dimension to this universe, this world. It used to feel like an endless, futile battle. Now, it feels like a bloody, flowing battle. On short notice, it's not much better—probably worse. Deep down, however, it's blood and not pus. It's bleeding injuries, not festering diseases.

Especially because of how we're saved, I've always esteemed blood and bleeding.

Anyway, I used to work on my old iPad because my old laptop makes funny noises, but the funny noises are muffled under the ambient, Starbucks sounds. Even then, I've been blasting music into my brain, so I at least don't have to hear the laptop fan rattling.

Politics: I just posted this as a response to a comment on another man's post that I shared, but I thought it was worth repeating:

We are sticking our heads in the sand dunes called politics.
We are burying our responsibilities in the sand bags called politicians.
Instead of doing the hard work of stepping into messy lives and caring about messy people, we pretend our votes will bring about change.
We check the "Republican" box or the "Democrat" box and believe that we have done our duty as citizens. We assume that the level of passion with which we check that box will excuse us from further responsibilities.
One can vote until the end of time, but—until we start listening to the broken hearts around us, until we start forgiving the people who have wronged us, until we start apologizing for all the crap we've done, until we start making amends, until we start reaching into the darkness in our and others' lives to offer healing—it won't make a difference.

It won't make a difference. There are endless rants about which party you should support. There are endless rants about the importance of the political process. Imagine if all that time/energy/money was spent feeding people, helping people move, helping people write résumés, making professional connections for people, teaching people practical skills, listening to people share their despair, painting people's walls, weeding people's gardens, reading children's stories to people when they're depressed, babysitting somebody's kids so they can have a date night with their spouse, editing somebody's paper, making presents for others, writing encouraging letters to friends, playing games with family.

Do you have a skill? Go use it on someone's behalf. Do you have a resource? Go share it. Do you have time? Go listen to someone who has a heavy heart. Do you have strength? Go help someone with manual labor. Do you have connections? Go help somebody get employed. Do you have passion? Go inspire somebody to hope. Do you have knowledge? Go teach someone. Do you have food? Invite someone to share a meal with you. Do you have heartbreak? Go empathize. Do you have depression? Let someone else know they're not alone. Do you have fear? Go tell someone how you're learning how to handle it. Do you like driving? Offer to chauffeur. Do you hate driving? Offer to pay for gas. Do you like cooking? Offer to prepare meals. Do you hate cooking? Offer to buy drinks. Do you like being in front of people? Offer to host an event. Do you hate being in front of people? Offer to arrange the logistics. Are you young? Offer your energy. Are you old? Offer to listen.

You, you yourself have so much to offer the world. You have so much to offer the world. Voting for someone else won't make a difference. Going outside and stepping into peoples lives will. Voting for someone else won't make a difference. You will make a difference.