This is not going to be funny, and this is not going to be angry, so if you are seeking a rant this evening (or any such classic Shiz fare) - off you go.
The stories tonight about the death of beloved individuals has really done a number on my soul. For real. I cried so hard when I read Otteray Scribe's and CelticLassie's diaries that I actually had to pause for a minute to go find some Kleenex. Tears were pouring out of me like water, and the pool at the bottom was deep and hollow. But it was also translucent and I could see right through it; it was clear and lovely and warm.
I called my sister immediately, to tell her how much I love her. I made amends with a friend who pissed me off a few days ago. I hugged my dad tightly before he went to work just now.
I am a liberal because I feel. I am a progressive because I want to ease others' pain. I am a socialist because I understand at least some of the workings of humanity.
Death is final, is solid, is forever. So why can we not improve life for the living? Why can we not pacify the vulnerabilities of people in need?
I don't get it. And I don't get why some other liberals and progressives do not want to lift up the hurt and abused, or those deemed by society to be The Other: the poor, the minority, the Muslim, the atheist, the disabled, the mentally ill, the addicted, the LGBTQ, the Vagina Americans, the imprisoned, the silently suffering. The list is never ending.
Connection is an animal condition, but particularly a human one. Connection with others is the reason why we are all here - not only on Dkos itself, but within humanity in general. We are sentient beings who seek connection with like-minded folks who understand us and our troubles and our worries and everything that makes us Us.
We wish to share this longing with people who Get Us and, in the absence of true connection, we will do anything to achieve this connection, even if it's not right or good or "moral".
Sometimes we flail, in order to achieve connection, but sometimes we shine.
We shine when we are sympathetic to others who have lost someone close to them.
We shine when we are empathetic to those who are down-and-out.
We shine when we feel for someone going through an illness, either mental or physical.
We shine when we plead for tolerance for those whom society deems unworthy of our love.
We shine when we open our minds to those whom we don't understand.
We shine when we give voice to the Unheard and stand up for them.
We shine when we all become our Better Selves.
Life is not a zero-sum game. There is no award for those who get the most recommends here, and there is no award for those who die with the most toys. We all have our crosses to bear, some worse than others, but we are no less resilient to achieving a life worth living.
No one gets out alive, but it's all about perspective.
I'm a liberal because it's not all about me. I'm a progressive because it's not all about me. I'm a socialist because it's not all about me.
I am a mother, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, and a friend. If I wanted any of this "I have mine, so fuck you!" attitude, I'd become a Republican.
And that makes me sad, to think that people honestly believe that they are the end-all and be-all of the world. It makes me cry.
The tears flow from me like water.