Mornings like these it is difficult to remember how much America has to offer. We are far from perfect but no country has it all figured out; everyone has something to improve.
When a mass shooting occurs people immediately start to point fingers. "Take away all guns." "Assault rifles for everyone to protect themselves." "Maybe something in the middle that lets people have guns but not such high power weapons." There are always opinions floating around. Luckily for me, my dad is a government teacher. I don't know about everyone else's government teachers but mine wasn't overly political in class. Since he's my dad I know his political affiliation but he keeps it pretty quite while teaching.
If anything, government class taught be how to listen intently without judgement. Frankly I do not care where anyone stands on major issues. I might not agree with your stance on guns, gay rights, or abortion but I'm willing to hear you out. If you do not strong backing to your argument ("it's just what I think") I have a harder time understanding where you come from and why you think it. My own best friend of 10 years has very little in common with me politically but here we are getting along just great. It would be easy to fall into the trap of trying to convince each other that the other is wrong but that is wasted breath. Instead we focus on our shared loves of rom coms, country music, and the Bachelor. There is not much point in telling people their ideas and affiliations are "not correct." In politics, there is no right or correct answer. We are not living in a test universe. There is plenty of room for shades of gray. There are multiple right answers in most situations.
Do you hold the door for someone behind you with their hands full of groceries and 3 kids in tow? I like you. Do you politely request another set of silverware at a restaurant when the waiter forgets a set? I like you. Do you smile at your neighbors when they are headed to the store? I like you. There are too many good qualities in people to let a bit of politics ruin a good relationship.
At the end of the day there will be too many families across the U.S. who no longer have a loved one. I cannot fix it. I can hope the world heals a little here and there. I can hope we find a solution to gun rights and mental health that puts the fewest people in harm's way. I can hope for common ground and a way for America to move forward peacefully. There might be a some self-destruction through the process but we will make it. The beauty of being American is that we have the freedom to choose. I carry a copy of the Constitution with me wherever I go. (I promise I'm not that geeky; I got a free copy at government camp once and it's never left my purse collection.) It serves as a constant reminder that I live somewhere where I have choices and my friends and family have choices and that we can all live together happily even when we do not make the same choices.
Be kind. Give everyone a break.
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