I Love You

I love you.  You probably don’t hear that enough.  It’s not that the world has become about all hate, it’s just that we’ve lost sight of the important part lately:  love.
I might not know you very well if you’re seeing this – some people on my friends list I know very well.  Some, I don’t know much about.  And, some, I don’t know at all except for a brief social media conversation or two.  That’s OK – I still love you.  Generally speaking, I love everyone.
I don’t like people in general – I’ve admitted that many times.  I’m an “anti-social butterfly” the needs to interact with people, but I’m incredibly picky about who I interact with on a person to person basis.  I don’t like people touching or hugging me, but I make exceptions (which is funny, since I’m a fairly affectionate person with anyone I’m involved with.)  But, I never turn down a hug, and I rarely treat anyone with anything but respect and a smile.  I might not like them, but I love them – they aren’t any better or lesser then me.  They may be different, but that doesn’t mean they are unloveable, and that they don’t deserve to be treated with a level of respect.
I started a congregation at one point – First Geek Congregation – based on the idea of love, peace, and respect, no matter who the person is.  I still stand behind that thinking 100%.  Eventually, I’ll have the money to get back to that.  Right now, it’s on hiatus.
Now, when I say I love you, that doesn’t mean I agree with you.  Sometimes, I think you can be stupid.  And I mean seriously stupid.  You can be hurtful to others – something very much against my person creed.  You can be stubborn.  You can be self-centered to the point of blatant injury to others.  But, we don’t have to agree for me to love you.  You don’t have to be perfect for me to love you.
I put my #SelfieADay thing on hold for four days, because I was that angry at the world, and the mass-shooting in Orlando was the tipping point for me.  It wasn’t the shooting it’s self – which was a horrific event – but, the reaction of many people after it.  People weren’t discussing gun control – they were screaming at each other over Facebook, without ever considering the other side of the issue, or even a middle ground on the discussion.  It may sound stupid, but, I couldn’t put on a smile and post it like I do nearly every day (not every #Selfie I post involves a smile, but most of them do.)
And, I had some personal stuff going on that had me dragged down.  Finances kinda suck – I’m transitioning the business, and even the smallest hiccups right now have large implications.  And, I’m surprised exactly how angry I am about having a diagnosis for a silly skin condition with no cure, but, also with no real health downside – the worst I’ll ever have to deal with is having itchy bumps on my skin.  There’s nothing wrong with me, really, particularly compared to many of the friends I have who are dealing with serious medical issues with serious life implications.  Red bumps is nothing, but it really drug me down.  Heck, having to change my attire to long sleeve shirts irritates me, even though I rather like how I look in them.
But, that’s just anger.  Heck, anger isn’t completely a bad thing – it’s often a sign that we need to change things.  It’s a also a tool that we can use in ourselves to help us change ourselves, and it’s the tool of choice for social change more often than not.  Let’s face it – the idea of a peaceful protest is actually a lot of angry people making their voices heard, but without expressing
There have been times where I’ve said “I hate those fuckers!” before.  I don’t really hate them – hate is what lets us allow others to suffer.  Hate is what allows us to kill.  And I wouldn’t incite others to violence.
We’re at the point where more and more people seem to be going over the line between “anger”, and right on into “hate”.  I’m not going to call them out here, or even call out their targets.  Thing is, the list would be too long – I’ve seen people wish death upon anyone from Liberals to Conservatives to Christians to Muslims to Men to Women.  I’m all for joking, but Jesus people – some of these are serious.  I’ve seen hate attributed to entire classes of people.  I’m a white male – I wasn’t aware of how many people I’m supposed to hate until the last year or so of people saying how white men hate (insert thing, race, gender, etc.)  I have a hard time accepting that I hate these things.  And, if I speak up, there’s nice little hashtags just to belittle me further – #NotAllMen, for instance.
It’s not just me that hate is being attributed to, though.  It’s entire groups.  All trans hate cis people (cis – those who haven’t undergone a change in gender).  All Muslims hate America.  All Atheists hate Christians.  The list goes on and on, and it’s BLATANTLY FALSE.  None of those things are true.  But, if you’re told that you hate (insert other people), eventually you may believe them.
But, still, I love you, even if you tell me I hate others, or that I should hate others.
I don’t check up on everyone – it would be impossible.  But, there are people in my life that I make a point of sending a simple “How ya’ doing?”, “Is everything OK?”, or even just “*HUGS*” to from time to time when I see on Facebook that they’re down.  It’s my little way of spreading love in the world, even if it sounds a little “hippy” when I say it.  Do the same for others – reach out, and express some love.  Don’t just hit “like” on their post – do something more personal.
I’ve sort of found my balance again, so #SelfieADay will resume (some people aren’t fond of it, but I have little care of that. 😉 )
I’m sincere.  I mean it when I say I love you, even with all your flaws.  So, next time you’re feeing angry, hurt, alone, or feeling hate – come back to this.  The entire world isn’t against you.  Say “Hi” if you need sometime to talk to.  I can’t say I always have time, but I try my best.
Oh, and Photoshop people?  I’m holding up a sign – you’re welcome to do your worst, and reply it here 😉