I had a bummer moment yesterday. You know, the kind of moment or experience where you lose all hope in humanity; the kind of moment where your emotions go from a fury so strong you could just scream a swear word at a stranger to a sadness so deep you could just sit down and cry.
Jon and I were driving home on a busy road here in Calgary when we noticed a group of people hanging out on a pedestrian overpass holding onto something on the other side. As soon as we passed under, we looked back and immediately regretted it. They were holding a banner and it was huge. It was extremely graphic. It was gory. Most of all, it was absolutely grotesque. I felt sick after looking at it. And in big block letters that were supposed to "justify" such an image it said, "ABORTION KILLS CHILDREN."
In an instant I was thrown back to a couple months ago when my simple blog became a platform for Pro-Lifers to anonymously condemn and harass me in regards to a situation they knew very little about. Although I maintained my cool online and posted what I thought was a graceful and eloquent rebuttal, it still really hurt my feelings to be vilified for making a professionally advised and prayerfully guided decision. However, in addition to being hurt, I was also incredibly confused. You see, if these people disagreed with my decision and wanted to persuade me to follow their philosophy or inform me of the "correct" way to handle such a situation, shouldn't they be kind? Shouldn't they extend a hand of fellowship, share a kind word and engage in an intelligent and informed conversation to explain their point of view and the benefits of it, rather than anonymously criticizing? Isn't it common sense that if you want to gain support, share a message or just make friends in general you should treat them in a kind and compassionate matter? Isn't it obvious that you should make a person feel good about themselves, because ultimately, what a person remembers best is how you make them feel?
Now, don't get me wrong, I think that Pro-Life is a genuinely good cause. I believe in life. Life is a wonderful gift and should be protected when it has the chance of flourishing. Unfortunately, it seems that the loudest advocates of this cause seem to not realize that they could "... catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Did I feel uplifted and inspired to join the fight against abortion after seeing that banner yesterday? No. Not at all. It made me in a bad mood. I called the cops and reported it. (To which I was informed that they can't do anything because the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Pro-Lifers "freedom of speech" defence)
I just don't get it; I don't get why the majority of people or organizations share their beliefs through demeaning and offending the people that "don't belong." Don't they realize that the people who "don't belong" or do not know about the group/organization could very well choose to belong and join if they were treated kindly and given a chance to see the positive and beautiful things about that group/organization?
And it goes both ways. I'm not innocent. I belong to an organization that is notorious for [it's members sometimes] forget that kindness really is the best way to spread a message. I belong to a church that I love with all my heart, yet a big part of my heart breaks whenever I hear of my young cousins being bullied because they aren't baptized, youth being pushed away and told they're going to hell because of a small indiscretion, or just any sort of situation where [the people of] my church are the culprit of hurt feelings and unkindness. Isn't the very basis of all religion supposed to be founded on this... ?
So here I am, at the end of just another day feeling sad and disgruntled. I just don't get it, why aren't people nicer? Why? I wish everyone would just follow this...
Jon and I were driving home on a busy road here in Calgary when we noticed a group of people hanging out on a pedestrian overpass holding onto something on the other side. As soon as we passed under, we looked back and immediately regretted it. They were holding a banner and it was huge. It was extremely graphic. It was gory. Most of all, it was absolutely grotesque. I felt sick after looking at it. And in big block letters that were supposed to "justify" such an image it said, "ABORTION KILLS CHILDREN."
Much more tasteful, wouldn't you agree?
In an instant I was thrown back to a couple months ago when my simple blog became a platform for Pro-Lifers to anonymously condemn and harass me in regards to a situation they knew very little about. Although I maintained my cool online and posted what I thought was a graceful and eloquent rebuttal, it still really hurt my feelings to be vilified for making a professionally advised and prayerfully guided decision. However, in addition to being hurt, I was also incredibly confused. You see, if these people disagreed with my decision and wanted to persuade me to follow their philosophy or inform me of the "correct" way to handle such a situation, shouldn't they be kind? Shouldn't they extend a hand of fellowship, share a kind word and engage in an intelligent and informed conversation to explain their point of view and the benefits of it, rather than anonymously criticizing? Isn't it common sense that if you want to gain support, share a message or just make friends in general you should treat them in a kind and compassionate matter? Isn't it obvious that you should make a person feel good about themselves, because ultimately, what a person remembers best is how you make them feel?
This just makes sense, doesn't it?
Now, don't get me wrong, I think that Pro-Life is a genuinely good cause. I believe in life. Life is a wonderful gift and should be protected when it has the chance of flourishing. Unfortunately, it seems that the loudest advocates of this cause seem to not realize that they could "... catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Did I feel uplifted and inspired to join the fight against abortion after seeing that banner yesterday? No. Not at all. It made me in a bad mood. I called the cops and reported it. (To which I was informed that they can't do anything because the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Pro-Lifers "freedom of speech" defence)
I just don't get it; I don't get why the majority of people or organizations share their beliefs through demeaning and offending the people that "don't belong." Don't they realize that the people who "don't belong" or do not know about the group/organization could very well choose to belong and join if they were treated kindly and given a chance to see the positive and beautiful things about that group/organization?
And it goes both ways. I'm not innocent. I belong to an organization that is notorious for [it's members sometimes] forget that kindness really is the best way to spread a message. I belong to a church that I love with all my heart, yet a big part of my heart breaks whenever I hear of my young cousins being bullied because they aren't baptized, youth being pushed away and told they're going to hell because of a small indiscretion, or just any sort of situation where [the people of] my church are the culprit of hurt feelings and unkindness. Isn't the very basis of all religion supposed to be founded on this... ?
So here I am, at the end of just another day feeling sad and disgruntled. I just don't get it, why aren't people nicer? Why? I wish everyone would just follow this...