Enough

I’m so tired of hate.
I’m tired of people excusing hate.
I’m tired of people giving their loyalty to politicians that never earned their trust.
I’m tired of lies.
And conspiracy theories.
And alternative facts.
And willful ignorance.
I’m tired of this damn virus stealing bright souls that served as beacons in this dark world.
I’m tired of greed.
And bullying.
And callousness.
And violence.
And death.
My heart aches from it all.

We need integrity.

That long-forgotten character trait of standing up for what is right.
Even when it’s hard.
Even when no one is watching.
Even when you stand alone.
No justification of one wrong deserving another.
No playground logic of “well they did it first.”
No strawman or false equivalence fallacies.
No “well that’s the way it’s always been.”
No justification for heinous behavior because people are too damn arrogant to question their own beliefs.
Just integrity for the sake of truth.
Hate is hate.
Lies are lies.
Racism is wrong.

We’re all Americans.

We have the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Every single one of us.
But with that comes responsibility.
A responsibility to fill out our census.
To show up and vote.
To shed light on corruption.
To watch out for our neighbors.
To listen with the intent of understanding.
To be a part of the solution.
We have a responsibility to create a better world.

Enough.