June of this year was a specially tumultuous time around the world. It saw several shootings that caused senseless deaths. It sowed more fear in the hearts of people all over the world and heightened the anxiety everyone was already feeling from the emergence of conflicts in several countries.
Among them is the mass shooting at a gay club in Florida which caused the deaths of 49 people; in June of all times when pride is celebrated. People from all walks of life died because someone decided to kill them for being different. It's an unspeakable horror that has left a bitter taste in my mouth and instilled a profound fear in my heart. They died defenselessly in a place where they were supposed to feel safe to be themselves. Their lives were cut short because someone decided that their lives didn't matter, just because they were "different."
Part of the reason I was pushed back to the closet was me joining a church based organization. I genuinely desired to strengthen my faith in God and somehow bridge the gap between what the teachings were telling me about myself and what I know to be the truth. I found a semblance of peace between these two opposing worlds. Then again, the deafening silence of the community who's reaching out in the name of love about the recent mass shooting, has left me dumbfounded. When we keep silent about injustice, we become accomplices to its perpetuation. Knowingly or not, our silence reinforces the hate that has fueled the heart of the shooter and everyone like him.
It made me ask whether we as a specie have lost touch with our humanity. Have we reached a dead end in our unified thought on what constitutes the human experience? Aren't we supposed to rally together against evil acts by standing united as one specie? Aren't we supposed to decry any and all forms of atrocity? Silence is how some responded. Some spoke up against it but with qualified pronouncements as if to say that they "had" it coming. Even more perplexing are those who voiced their support for the violence that has just transpired.
It is bewildering to see how divided we are as a specie. It boggles my mind to think how one life seems to be worth less to others just because it's not the same as theirs. This fear that I feel now brings back memories of my childhood. I would not wish it for anyone but honestly no one would fully understand the struggle that we contend with unless they have walked miles in our shoes. Maybe then they would find compassion in their hearts once they experience the overt and covert persecution that we deal with every waking moment.
No one should ever be made to feel less of a human because they are different and do not conform to boxed demarcations of gender roles. I am gay and being one is not the totality of my being. It does not define me, rather, it is a part of me. We are defined by how we exercise our Humanity - its inherent honors and responsibilities. I am led to hope that one day we can all rally to defend each others inviolable dignity. I hope I will get to see in my lifetime, us raising a single flag - Humanity. No other definition should matter. Maybe then we could take back what we have lost - our hUmaNITY.
xoxo
QB
Among them is the mass shooting at a gay club in Florida which caused the deaths of 49 people; in June of all times when pride is celebrated. People from all walks of life died because someone decided to kill them for being different. It's an unspeakable horror that has left a bitter taste in my mouth and instilled a profound fear in my heart. They died defenselessly in a place where they were supposed to feel safe to be themselves. Their lives were cut short because someone decided that their lives didn't matter, just because they were "different."
Part of the reason I was pushed back to the closet was me joining a church based organization. I genuinely desired to strengthen my faith in God and somehow bridge the gap between what the teachings were telling me about myself and what I know to be the truth. I found a semblance of peace between these two opposing worlds. Then again, the deafening silence of the community who's reaching out in the name of love about the recent mass shooting, has left me dumbfounded. When we keep silent about injustice, we become accomplices to its perpetuation. Knowingly or not, our silence reinforces the hate that has fueled the heart of the shooter and everyone like him.
It made me ask whether we as a specie have lost touch with our humanity. Have we reached a dead end in our unified thought on what constitutes the human experience? Aren't we supposed to rally together against evil acts by standing united as one specie? Aren't we supposed to decry any and all forms of atrocity? Silence is how some responded. Some spoke up against it but with qualified pronouncements as if to say that they "had" it coming. Even more perplexing are those who voiced their support for the violence that has just transpired.
It is bewildering to see how divided we are as a specie. It boggles my mind to think how one life seems to be worth less to others just because it's not the same as theirs. This fear that I feel now brings back memories of my childhood. I would not wish it for anyone but honestly no one would fully understand the struggle that we contend with unless they have walked miles in our shoes. Maybe then they would find compassion in their hearts once they experience the overt and covert persecution that we deal with every waking moment.
No one should ever be made to feel less of a human because they are different and do not conform to boxed demarcations of gender roles. I am gay and being one is not the totality of my being. It does not define me, rather, it is a part of me. We are defined by how we exercise our Humanity - its inherent honors and responsibilities. I am led to hope that one day we can all rally to defend each others inviolable dignity. I hope I will get to see in my lifetime, us raising a single flag - Humanity. No other definition should matter. Maybe then we could take back what we have lost - our hUmaNITY.
xoxo
QB
No comments:
Post a Comment