Time To Rise Up Above Xenophobia and The Status Quo

I have written before on how sickened I am by current events. By no means is this a "new" thing or a new instance. It has been going since the original "illegal immigrants" landed and ransacked the lands and its people. My power lies within myself and by using my words. I hope that someday we all begin to use our power.
This goes out to the original illegal immigrants who invaded this land and perpetrated horrific crimes against humanity. They raped the people, they raped the land and in turn they destroyed the balance of nature.They got away with it; there were no repercussions for their actions. Currently, the “powers that be” are dehumanizing people at an alarming rate. Well, let us be honest, they always have. It just gets thrust more in the public eye now that people are rising up and spreading the news.
It is happening everywhere. It is like a cancer spreading out of control and racking the integrity of our people. We have people of color being murdered for minor infractions, or worse yet doing nothing but being a darker color. We have racism being thrust in our faces every time we turn on the news or look at our social media pages. Xenophobes have been given free reign to spread their hatred on a much larger scale. Immigrants are being banned from entering this country, when immigration is what has built this nation. Travel bans, trade bans, federal assistance bans, housing bans, the list goes on and on. Families are being ripped apart by separating children from their parents and then being further humiliated by being placed in holding cages in a detention facility. A detention facility that is what they are calling it. Why not call them by their proper name, which are internment camps.
We have seen these before correct? The Japanese citizens were held in these camps during the World War 2 by order of our president at the time Mr. Franklin D Roosevelt. Everyone was on a racial charged kick against the Japanese due to public outcry after Pearl Harbor. The majority of the ones being held were U.S. Citizens. Of course, we cannot forget the camps in Europe that led to the torture and deaths of so many.
Hatred is what fuels this nation. The elite are in a perpetual xenophobic rant. The President of the United States and his underlings are pushing forward to purify the nation one person at a time. Nothing is done to the people who inflict pain, suffering, degradation and death on the innocents. They are secretly rewarded and publicly scolded like a child who scared his sister with a firecracker. The police are committing crimes against humanity at an alarming rate and getting no punishment for their actions. The justice system is in shambles and twisted. Real criminals get out of jail with no further marks on their records. Sexual predators get away with the damage that they have inflicted on their victims and move on to another day to be able to do it again. People are jailed at an alarming rate for something as minor as a broken tail light or having a joint on their person. Jail sentences are handed out at alarming rate to people of color while white people get away with more severe crimes and get to walk out with no harm done. There is such a thing as white privilege and to those who do not believe that it is real, they need to educate themselves to what it really means. In a situation where a white mass shooter gets to be apprehended by the police quietly, yet a young African American man gets murdered in his back yard for doing nothing. And if you put one White person and one Hispanic person in a similar situation and watch what transpires. Will a white person get stopped only for their skin color; will they get asked to show their papers? Hispanics will. And God forbid if they do not have papers. They get escorted violently to a holding center for deportation. Do you think that they get due process? Do you believe that they have rights? Do you believe that they get to call home and tell their families what happened? What if they are here “legally”? I use that term loosely as this was Mexico. This was Native land. What gives us the right to keep anyone out? No one person is “illegal”. This is a derogatory term that is used to describe a HUMAN BEING!
The time has come for us to band together and fight back! All races, colors, creeds, nationalities, genders need to come together, now more than ever. We need to stop living quietly as a non- racist and begin to live vocally as a non- racist. There are many of us out here that are against this behavior. Let us all begin to speak out. Let us all begin to write about it. Let us vote and get more compassionate human beings in office. Let us stand up for the rights of ourselves and others. We have the power to speak up, we have the power to write, and we have the power to express ourselves. We can do something even if it is writing to the politicians. We have the power in numbers. Let us stand together in unity. Let us join as a community. Let us most importantly, raise our children as compassionate human beings. The key is to raise our children. Do not let others do the job. Do not put them in front of a television, or an I pad and let them learn trash. Teach them how to love, teach them how to take care of themselves, teach them that it is okay to speak up, teach them to face fears, teach them respect and manners.
The time is now and we need to rise up and use our voices to stop this behavior. It does not change in a day, some people will never change. This is why we can only change ourselves. We start with ONE!
With this, I leave you all with love.

Kindness, A Disappearing Act

This one is about kindness. A simple, selfless act that can spread from one person to another.

I ask you, is the act of being kind disappearing? Or is it being shrouded by all of the hatred running rampant in our world? Gone are the days of peace, love and happiness. In all actuality though, were the past times really better? We talked a big game, but hatred was running rampant then as well. There were many who believed in peace and love and wanted to spread happiness but they were met with much resistance. People did not want to change their ways or make a move to help change the world. Things that did change were respect, hard work, dignity, family values, discipline, kindness and empathy. Hate crimes were a normal thing back then and times are no better now. Corruption, greed, racism and entitlement were always around. They were hidden better since there were no computers or cell phones back then. Technology has made us the most narcissistic society. But problems have always been here and I do believe logically that they will always be here.

So, all that can be changed is ourselves. Really, we are our own keepers. If we make an effort to change our behaviors and change our perspective, it will make a huge difference in our lives. It changes you, it has a positive effect which in turn can affect those around you. The changes that have happened over the years has resulted in a lack of respect for others, a loss of dignity in ourselves, a loss of pride of a people, a destruction of community and a lack of human kindness. I see so many people throughout the day that believe that they are entitled to something simply for being present in this world. They think that they alone are more deserving of something than others. They have never been humbled or forget when they were and believe that they are more in need than others. It really is a sad state.

Imagine being in line at a store. Standing in line behind an elderly lady. The cashier is engaging in conversation with the woman. The person behind you, begins tapping their foot. They begin mumbling under their breathe. They begin cursing under their breathe. Tapping more loudly, with keys in hand. They begin talking out loud, saying "some people have things to do, some people do not have time for you to be nice to everyone". The cashier finishes up with the lady and it is now your turn. The cashier kindly thanks you for your patience and smiles. You smile back. This situation happens everywhere now, more and more you see people become angry at others for taking up moments of their precious time. They do not stop to think that maybe, that cashier made that lady so happy. Maybe, that elderly woman was alone. Maybe she just had a tragedy. Maybe she just needed a smile and kind words. It really is disgusting. Everyone is in a hurry to get nowhere, fast. As if being an asshole and complaining will make anything happen more quickly. Now, I am not the most patient person in the world. I will admit that and I work on it everyday. But, I do appreciate the kindness of others and if that takes two extra minutes, then so be it. It brings a smile to my face which in turn makes me smile more. And sometimes even a simple smile means the world to someone.

Practice kindness everyday, you will begin to see a difference in your perspective. You will begin to feel better and your heart will become fuller. It does not take much, only a small gesture most times.
Offer a water and a piece of fruit to the homeless person on the side of the store instead of walking by them, avoiding them or just shaking your head.
Hold the door open for someone.
If someone drops something, help them pick it up.
Smile and make eye contact with everyone that you encounter on the street, the store or at work.
Make an effort to do something kind for someone at least once per day.

This will make you feel better. It will give you a moment to reflect on how good you have it. It will put things into a positive light for you. That simple act of kindness will spread.
If we all took one moment out of our daily lives to help someone else, smile at someone or ask someone how their day is going, it could make a difference. Remember, change begins with one.
The state of our world is deplorable. Everyone rushes by, always out for number one. Well, I get that. In a sense, we have to look out for ourselves because no one else will. However, we should also practice kindness everyday. Karma watches and when we live the selfish, entitled life, it will come back to us.
I simply leave you with this, be kind. Practice kindness. Preach kindness. Teach kindness. By God...spread kindness.
Peace, Love and Happiness always