Let’s face it: the world is full of chaos, trauma, drama, and despair.
I wake up every morning, make my coffee, and pray, asking God to help me understand people who don’t think like me, who look different than me, who may see the world differently.
I am troubled by the mindset of many people. I have a friend who watches a certain news channel all day long and gets all her information about the world from there. She doesn’t read newspapers. She doesn’t have a degree in political science or history. She has an “us vs. them” mentality. She is entitled, angry and paranoid. In fact, I have seen a lot of people like that. I thought I experienced paranoia until the current political climate. Paranoia has reached a whole new level.
I unfriended someone on Facebook because they posted too many political posts. People seem to believe they can convince their Facebook friends to think like them. They are bound and determined. I don’t think social media should be a place to dictate what and how people should believe. Everyone has free will. Everyone has different beliefs.
Growing up, I don’t think my parents ever told me how to think politically. My father was a professor and taught political communication. He was interviewed by local news stations about political campaigns. He even spoke at a conference in Atlanta in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. After my father spoke, Coretta Scott King came up to him and told him how much she appreciated what he had said.
Hatred runs in families. Just look at the recent school shootings. Of course, mental illness plays a big role. Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and author from Montgomery, Alabama, shows people how to see more kindness in those who are different from them. Stevenson visits prisons and jails to help liberate the oppressed. He grew up going to church and singing hymns. Bryan Stevenson’s YouTube video “Chocolate Milkshake” inspires me every time I watch it.
My sister, Laura, works for a defense company and has about 100 people on her team. She travels all over the world speaking to people in other governments and is very well respected. I love visiting my sister and her special husband because my friendship with her gives me comfort. She is very patriotic and serves her country well. I am very proud of her.
We live in a global world. We are more than just Kansans. We are more than just a political party. We are more than just men. We are more than just Christians.
I have always had a heart for those who are hurting and oppressed, especially those from other countries and those of different races and ethnicities. My faith is important to me, and it teaches me every day to embrace the world and pray. To pray for healing, to pray for freedom from poverty, to pray for hope. I encourage others to do the same.
We can’t put on Wonder Woman’s armor or Superman’s cape and rescue people, but each of us has our own little place in the world where we can make a difference, and I want to remember that we are here to touch people’s lives and help others.
Rebecca Lynn Phillips is a published author, speaker, and mental health advocate. Through our opinion column, Kansas Reflector amplifies the voices of people affected by public policy and those excluded from public discourse. Learn more, including how to submit your own commentary, here.