Me to We – Hot Potato!

We excel at making a living but often fail at making a life. We celebrate our prosperity but yearn for purpose. We cherish our freedoms but long for connection. In an age of plenty, we feel spiritual hunger. – David G. Myers

If there’s one thing I’ve figured out in the last three years or so, it’s that the mention – no, the mere whisper – of anything political will get me one of two responses: crickets or pickets.

(Yes, I was trying to be clever with the rhyme. I think I pulled it off. )

What you need to know before you read further: I am irritated. No, more than that. I am angry. Pissed off! Hurt and Horrified – both capitalized for emphasis. I’ll discuss this more at the end of this post.

(Deep breath)

Do you know that I’ve written two “Hot Potato” posts that I almost-immediately took down for fear that I’d lose readers? Do you know how much it pained me?

I’ve talked about literally every other taboo subject on this blog – religion, infidelity, abuse, dreams, and – for crying out loud – yeast infections! Everything but this one damned thing.

I always work very hard to be respectful and keep my words about my experiences, not other people. I never, ever want anyone to feel excluded, less-than or stupid for feeling differently than I do. I do my best to understand and support people who do not understand my journey or are on a different path.

But politics. Politics.

*sigh*

I am a registered Independent. I was always a down-the-middle girl who didn’t agree with everything some Republicans (Reagan) and Democrats (Carter) espoused but respected (and liked!) them just the same. I thought Nixon was a crook, Ford was a goof and Bush Sr. had his shit together but his son, not so much. Obama was grace personified.

And then came Trump. OMG. Full stop. <<<And that’s literally all I’ll say about him. What I’ll say about his movement, though, is this:

I used to believe we could all co-exist together. I used to believe we could each believe something different and get along. I used to believe a lot of things… that is, until yesterday. That’s when I got a wake-up call and realized I can’t keep trying to keep the peace by being silent. Not even on this blog, which is a microcosm of my *actual* life.

This book is a perfect segue into what I believe has happened in our country. Me to We may be the title of this book but we – as a country – have flipped it on its head. We’ve gone back to me – me, me, me – in the guise of patriotism. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE my country! But I DON’T love what it’s becoming under the current leadership.

This book is a shining example of what is possible… if only.

Me to We by Craig Kielburger and Marc Kielburger is an anthology of thoughts by what some would call Snowflakes, if “Snowflakes” are people like Oprah, Richard Gere, and Dr. Jane Goodall. Oh, and there’s an actual Queen, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, too!

The authors (the brothers Kielburger) are donating all profits from the sale of the book to Free The Children, which is now known as the “We Movement”. I would normally save their websites to the end but want to keep them all together here, so here we are: WE.org and the Me to We website.

The book is about finding meaning in a material world… but really, it’s about SO MUCH more by way of one simple action: Me to We.

What this book discusses:

• EMPATHY
• SPIRITUALITY
• PHILOSOPHY
• GRATITUDE
• HAPPINESS
• KINDNESS
• COURAGE

Most of all, it discusses SOCIAL CHANGE by “Being the change” we want to see in the world… one person at a time. That change then goes from … you guessed it … me to we.

This is not some mamby-pamby feel-good book filled with la-la platitudes and psycho-babbly stories. These young men actually became the change they wanted to see in the world and are sharing what they learned in a written (and very literal) way.

If I had to distill their meaning down to two words, I would say this:

Unifying Community

^^^^This, right here! ^^^^ That’s the meaning of Me to We. 

It’s what I want – so desperately! Especially now! And not just for me but for my children and grandchildren and beyond.

Finally, you may be wondering what happened yesterday? If so, here it is: I shared a political meme on my FB timeline, which I rarely do these days, for the reasons I stated above: keeping the peace, etc. It said I was tired, which I am, of all the shenanigans of the current admin. Just tired. So very tired. Someone among my small friends’ list (200-ish) went to the trouble to not only unfriend me but tell me so in a snarky, public “Bye Felicia” way. It was someone I didn’t know *that* well, so I let it go. Except, clearly, I didn’t. Let it go, I mean. It really bothered me! So, I had to take a look at the reason… within myself.

This post is the culmination of my thought process. I’m tired of hiding my beliefs. This isn’t about ME. It’s about WE, and what WE all need to grow forward.

My goal has *always* been to treat each person – no matter their beliefs – with respect and care. I will continue to fulfill that goal… here, there and everywhere. I only ask for the same in return.