Today I was able to get to one of my favorite trails – the Laurel Ridge Trail which is on the line between Cumming in Forsyth County and Buford in Gwinnett County. I’ve missed being able to have glimpses of Lake Lanier at the beginning and the Chattahoochee River at the end of the run. It’s one of my favorite places and where I do some of my best “solving the world’s problems” thinking.
My reflections from the trail today are below.
You can’t “choose love” and then post hate. I have friends who are conservative, liberal, progressive, far right, far left – and everything in between. Some people use self-control and do not use social media to share opinions on pop culture and the state of our world – I admire them and find that I linger longer on their posts because they are always full of joy, encouragement, and make me smile. Others will post their views in a thoughtful and respectful manner; they allow debate from others and refrain from name calling, insulting, and vulgar language – I appreciate those folks and often learn from both sides of an issue to open my mind to varying opinions. And then there are some who will look for every opportunity to lobby for or against everything – I recognize those right away and hit that wonderful “hide post” option.
The thing that continually blows my mind is how often individuals engaging in the hate-filled posts are the first ones posting: “pray for Texas” “Pray for Florida” and my favorite, “Choose Love, Not Hate.” THIS IS NOT A LEFT OR RIGHT ISSUE – I see this from friends of mine on both sides. How can someone share accusatory rants and images, sometimes filled with vulgar language and the highest form of disrespect towards a person or group of people…and then follow that with “Choose Love.”
Does everything we say, do, watch, or listen to have to be politicized? I remember when evening television was entertainment to help take away the stresses of the work day, when sports was just sports, when I could open my Facebook app and I’d see all positive stuff.
So if anyone reads this, I’m asking you to make a choice – do you choose Love? Or do you choose Hate? It’s one or the other – they don’t coexist.
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