Paving with Bricks of Love

November 10, 2022

Boy, I was sure irate yesterday. I climbed on my righteous high horse when contemplating the inequities foisted upon some humans by other humans who believe their way is the only way.

Today, it occurs to me that a high horse is not a very auspicious pulpit. Readers who would agree with me might raise a metaphorical fist and chant, right on!

The opposing view holders, if any should happen to read the article, would likely be offended and ignore the message.

Anger and divisiveness don’t help resolve any situation. The smoothest road to resolution is surely paved with bricks of love.

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What would love look like, in action, when facing the behavior of frightened people which prevents other people from freely enjoying well-being, the sovereign right to make a living, or even attending a party?

A service provider came to our home yesterday for the first time. She sent an email with details about the appointment and indicated that she would be wearing a mask while in the house.

When I asked why, she said, “My other clients are concerned about not having things brought into their homes.“

Since I don’t follow what California or CDC “Covid mandates” say about mask-wearing, I had no comeback. I felt pity for the service provider, being controlled from afar by her clients, but I elected to keep my opinion to myself (for once) and said nothing more.

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A short while ago, I received an invitation to a party celebrating a special occasion, and the electronic invitation emanated good cheer and good will…until I came to, “All guests are required to take a Covid test before attending.“

I remember last year watching videos from adamantly unvaccinated people like Tarot by Janine, lamenting their exclusion from family holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, you name it—sorry, no entry unless fully vaccinated and boosted.

Families dominated by mainstream narrative–believing pro-vaxxers largely ruled those occasions last year. But that was a year ago. I’m genuinely baffled as to why anybody, in the waning days of Covid fear, is wearing a mask. And the behavior of my longtime friends, while not totally unexpected considering their lockstep with liberal California wokeness, hurt nonetheless.

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The challenge in these situations appears to be that the recipient of the control attempt is nonetheless the person who needs to ignore the hurt and remember that the impetus behind controlling behavior is fear.

How do we help fearful people? Or fearful animals, or fearful molecules of dust?

The best I can do right now is to let others’ behavior deflect off of me. Remain neutral. Vent the hurt and aggravation away from the offending source if at all possible.

I don’t know that I would ever want to “educate” these fearful, poorly informed, narrative-consuming souls. But I will do my best to remain neutral toward them, or even a smidge over the line toward loving them. Can’t hurt, and just might help—me, if not them.