When you finally get to rest your head down at night after a long day, can your conscious let you fall asleep with ease? When you look at yourself in the mirror, can you respect the reflection staring back at you with wide eyes? When your integrity is questioned, can you easily come to the most ethical conclusion?
With recent events happening in the United States, some people clearly aren’t quite able to take their souls out of limbo. Whether you find yourself in limbo because of pure hatred or fear of the unknown, it is time to open your eyes, and learn to love everyone for who they are.
June is a special month designated to celebrate the LGBTQ community -- as every month should be dedicated to celebrate the lives of not only gays, but life itself. Previous to the Orlando shooting, I had intentions to write about all the joys of pride month -- that love is love and that alone should be accepted. However, the Orlando tragedy drastically changed my intentions.
First hearing about the shooting, I was consumed with anger. This anger slowly faded to disappointment and sadness. I was raised in a household to always make the right decision, even if that meant putting myself second. It then struck me that not everyone is fortunate enough to be raised in a logical and accepting household. I can wake up every day with anger and hatred in my heart for those who have been raised by close-minded people; but what does that do for not only me, but for everyone else? My anger shifted to disappointment, disappointment shifted to frustration and frustration transformed into acceptance. Acceptance; the sad realization that maybe the whole world will never accept people as they are. Coming to this consensus meant either one of two things, I can move forward with my life full of anger or I can try to provoke change.
From the second you are born, you’ve been given a chance at this wonderful thing called life. A little footprint has been added to the craziness of the world, and what you do with that footprint all depends on you. Boy or girl, you are born with the same number of bones, same body proportions, two breathing lungs and a beating heart. You’re taken home, and raised in a place that becomes familiar to you, with people you become comfortable around. You grow older; outgrow your clothes and your parents question where all the time has gone. Middle school brings puberty, high school brings heartbreak and college brings a whole new chapter of life. You fall in love, get married, have kids and in turn, you create a little footprint to follow the ones you’ve left behind.
Between all these milestones in life are the moments you perceive the world as your own. Your perspectives on the world slowly begin to form, and your analysis on the world sculpts your mindset as you take on life. Just as your personality forms, as does your morals, values, beliefs and so forth. Some people chose to go to school, some don’t. Some people are into athletics; some people are into theater and the arts -- your choice.
Can you remember the first time your heart has filled rampantly with little butterflies when your crush simply glared over at you? I’m sure I can and I’m sure you could too. Even as a little girl, I’ve always been boy crazy, but sometimes little girls aren’t all boy crazy. A little girl’s first crush could be another girl, and a little boy’s first encounter with cooties could be from another little boy.
But little kids are naïve, right? They don’t know what they’re thinking. Yes, yes they do. I believe you are born with your personality, sexuality and gender identification just as you are born with a beating heart. You don’t pop out the womb to see all the hatred towards the LGBTQ community and then choose to live a life struggling to be accepted. Why would anyone want to live a life that’s frowned upon by so many? Why do you think it is so hard for some to finally accept themselves and ‘come out’ as who they are? Why do you think so many people live a life unhappily, hiding their true desires from everyone they love? God has given them this life, so let them live it.
Take away everything and at the end of the day, we’re all skeletons searching for something to make the structure of our bones feel like home. We’re all looking for that something to make our hearts beat just a little faster, and our eyes shine a little brighter. That something is different for everybody -- so why hate on personal preference? Sharing the Earth with one another, it is inevitable our parallel lives will be forced to intersect. The way you choose to intersect, entirely up to you.
My anger can only take me so far in solving my inquisitions about why a slight personal preference difference in the same species can set off a human to take arms. I can only question why one man would prefer to hold a gun than see two other men hold hands. Hatred can only take one so far in life, until it escalates to the point where your footprint doesn’t only intersect with a few others around you, but an entire community.
The world was shaken up by an act of a single person, that ripped apart lives of hundreds of people. Why? He couldn’t find acceptance in his heart. At the end of the day, be thankful for your beating heart, strong lungs and capable body. You're alive, defining the shape of your footprint day by day. If you are incapable to open a window to shed light on your closed mind, then respect it for what it is and move forward. Don't dwell and kindle a burning hatred that will only lead you to a path of destructive actions or words.
Look into your heart to acceptance in things you can’t change; fall asleep with your conscious at ease. Find that little something that everyone seeks for in life to enhance their happiness; when you look at yourself in the mirror, do you have that glistening in your eyes? When your integrity is questioned, easily make the right decision.
Love is love. Even if you don’t agree, accept it and respect it.
To those who have lost their lives to this hatred and ignorance, as well as your loved ones, my heart goes out to you.
To those who have lost their lives in the Orlando shooting, my heart is with you and your loved ones.
